•N0I1V1S WVHOtflWHlfl © SB ©IRME’S L osf mam & ©immirsiiAii a i, l. u $ tb > * >* > ’ r />) > » > . v v , ^ ’a»Y»’’ »*’» * / *Y Morton, near RtaCf ty • BIRMINGHAM , E.C & W. OSBORNE , BENNETT’S HILL. L ON B ON , Simp fan. Marshals Sc C° Sc Dot tort Sc Clark. 3%SM I PREFACE. The great increase of travelling which has taken place since the opening of the main lines of railway communication, and which, as other lines are completed, will be still far more extended, must rapidly produce, as indeed it has already begun to produce, great and material changes in society. Many who, but a few years since, scarcely penetrated beyond the county in which they happened to have been born, are now induced to visit places far more remote, from the facility and comfort afforded them by railway transit, which enables them to travel over thousands of miles with greater personal ease than they formerly could over fifty. Thus they are brought into contact with numerous individuals in various parts of the kingdom, and become acquainted with customs, manners and habits which previously were wholly unknown to them. The result of this mutual communication of facts and ideas must be an improved state of society. The prejudices and superstitions which have long held sway in the more retired localities, will be swept away before the flood of knowledge which will now pour in upon them. Districts, which very recently were as far removed from the activities, as their inhabitants were unacquainted with the improvements of those portions of the community which en¬ joyed the advantage of an advanced stage of civilization, will no longer be thus isolated, and the light of intelligence will be more universally diffused over the whole population of the land. 11. PKEJFACE. Thus it becomes almost necessary that correct information should be supplied, connected with the country through which the various lines of railway are conducted. As the most efficient aid for this purpose, this little w r ork is embellished with a large colored Map of England, on which all the lines of railroad completed, in progress, and projected, are distinctly and differ¬ ently marked, thus shewing, at a glance, those best to be selected for passing to any part of the kingdom which may be desired. Tables of the Times of Starting, Fares, and other information connected with all the railroads are given, and the topography of portions of the country through or near which several of the lines pass is accurately described, and a great deal of useful matter supplied which will be found of essential service by the visiter to the metropolis or to some of the principal manufac¬ turing towns in the kingdom. In order to render the work more highly attractive, the pub lislier has gone to a great expense in pictorially embellishing it. Most of the illustrations are from the graver of Samuel Williams, whose name is a sufficient guarantee of their excellence. The very great success of a former work of his on the Grand Junction line, has stimulated the publisher to improve the present one in every possible way, and he now confidently leaves it with the public, feeling assured that equal if not greater success will reward his efforts for their gratification. LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL ENGRAVINGS. Facade of the Birmingham Station - - - Frontispiece Hill Morton, near Rugby - -. Title Map of England, with all the lines of Railroad marked thereon Pai,e Facade of Etiston Square Station.65 Interior of ditto - - - - - - - G7 Ground Plan of ditto ------- 69 ■ Locomotive Engine - .... 78 Primrose Hill Tunnel.SI Watford Embankment - . - - - - - - 104 - Viaduct.- -104 - Station.106 - Tunnel -.112 Berkhampstead Station - - . - - . . -119 Escarpment near Aylesbury Embankment - 130 Leighton Buzzard. 132 -Tunnel.133 Loughton Bridge, near Wolverton 140 Wolverton Viaduct - - - - . _ y . 144 Ashton. 148 Road Bridge, near Fenny Stratford - - - . . 150 Oxford Canal Bridge, near Weedon.160 Stowe Hill Tunnel.160 Weedon Barracks - - - . - . . . -161 Kilsby Tunnel.105 Rugby Road Bridge.167 Whitley Viaduct, near Coventry.473 iv. LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. Page Fossil Tree - 173 Coventry Station.175 Coventry.185 Beechwood Tunnel.194 Birmingham Station, Interior of.197 Vignette.198 Map of Birmingham.201 View of Birmingham.203 New-street, Birmingham -.204 Birmingham Town Hall - 208 Interior of ditto - -.210 Birmingham Free Grammar School - - - - 214 -Market Hall ------- 217 Vignette.240 INDEX. Acton, village of, 89 Aldbury, village of, 129 Ashton embankment, 147 *-village of, 148 Avon, the river, 169 Aylesbury, vale of 129 -- town of, 131 Babington, A., some account of, 96 Bacon, F., some account of, 110 Barr Beacon, 196 Beech wood tunnel, 193, 194 Bell, the, gardens of, 86 Berkhampstead, Great, town of, 119 Berkswell bridge, 194 Bilton church and hall, 170 Binley, village of, 172 Birmingham, bankers of, 230 -boarding houses of, 229 -churches in, description of, 206 -coaches & omnibuses, 237 -and Derby Railway, 195 -description of, 204 -dissenters’ chapels in, de¬ scription of, 207 -Free School, 214 -- hackney coach fares, 15 -inns of, 229 -manufactures of, 221 -map of, 200 -Market Hall, 217 -newspapers of, 230 -places of note adjacent to, 229 -worship in, Ch. of England, with names of of¬ ficiating clergy, &c., 233 -dis¬ senters, with ditto, 235 Birmingham Post office, 231 —-registrars’ of births, &c. offices, 230 -— scientific, charitable, and other public institutions, places of amusement, &c., 211 to 220 -show rooms and manufac¬ tories of, 223 -town of, its origin, 201 -town hall, 208 ---organ, 210 Blisworth cutting, 150 -village of, 155 Borough hill, 163 Boxmoor, 117 Brad well village and church, 141 Branca, Giovanni, his knowledge of steam as a motive power, 20 Brandon, village of, 170 -embankment, 170 -castle, 171 -woods, 171 Breaks, 93, 94 Breakspear, N., (Adrian IV.) 115 Brent, river, 90 Brickhill, Great, village of, 137 -Little,-137 Buckingham, town of, 142 Buckby Wharf, 164 Buffing apparatus, 71 Bugbrooke, village of, 159 Camden Town, 75 -depot at, 80 Castle Bromwich, 196 Cemetery, new, 81 Chairs, description of, 32 -figures of, 33 Chalk farm, 75 Cheddington church, 131 Church Lawford cutting, 170 VI. INDEX. Coleshill, town of, 195 Colne, tlie river, 105 -viaduct, 105 Cosgrove, village of, 141 Coventry, charities in, 182 -churches in, 182 -city of, 175 -public buildings in, 183 Crick, village of, 164 Daventry, town of, 162 Denbigh Hall, 138 Dunstable, town of, 129 Eddlesborough church, 131 Edgware road, 86 -town of, 87 Endless rope, 71 Fenny Stratford, village of, 138 Fletchampstead hall, 193 Fulton, account of his earliest ex¬ periments, 24 Gallows-hill bridge, 114 Gay ton, village of, 155 Godiva, Lady, some account of,175 Grafton Church, 145 Grand fapade atEuston Grove, 65 Grand Junction Railway, Vaux- j hall station, 196 Grand Junction Canal, 134 Great Western Railway, 88 ■- Berkhampstead, town of, 118 Hampstead church, 75 -- parish of, 76 - road bridge, 75 Hampton-in-Arden, village of, 195 H ansi ope church, 144 -parish of, 146 Harrow Church, 100 -on-the-hill, 95 -school, 96 -Weald, hamlet of, 101 Hatchend, village of, 101 Hemel Hampstead, town of, 118 Highgate, village of, 76 Hill Moreton embankment, 166 -village of, 166 Horton, village of, 131 Hunton bridge, 113 Ivinghoe, town of, 129 Kenilworth castle, 186 -town of, 185 Kensall Green tunnel, 88 Kilburn, Hamlet of, 86 Kilsby tunnel, 165 -village of, 165 King’s Langley, village of, 114 King’s Newnham, village of, 170 Leamington Priors, town of, 191 Leighton Buzzard, 132 Linsdale tunnel, 135 -village of, 135 Liverpool & Manchester Railway first proposed, 37 -opened, 46 Locomotive & stationary engines, relative expense of the two, 40 Locomotive engine, 79 London 4’ Birmingham, Railway, Bill for, passed the Commons, 48 -lost in the Lords, 49 -again brought into Par- liament and passed, 49 Booking, arrangements for, 67 Branch traffic of, 16 Bye Laws of, 4 Directors, first leport of, 51 Estimated cost, 48 First projected, 46 Geology of, (diagram), 102 Hackney coach fares to & from London Station, 13 Ditto, to and from Birmingham Station, 15 Hours of departure & arrival, 10 Officers of, 1 Omnibuses to & from London Station, and offices of, 2 Orders and regulations of, 6 Partially opened, 51 Rates for carriages and horses conveyed on, 9 Regulations of 3 Rise and progress of, 17 Solicitors of, 1 Time-table, 12 Whole line opened, 61 INDEX. Vll. London, bankers of, 267 - charities of, 257 - commerce of, 247 - hackney coach fares, 2G1 - holidays at public offices, 268 - Inns of Court, 257 - its early history, 241 - manufactures of, 249 - Military government of, 250 - parcels, rates for convey¬ ing from inns, &c. 267 - passage boats, 263 - places of amusement, ex¬ hibitions, &c. of, 258 -general resort in 251 - prisons of, 256 - public offices & societies of, 251 -rates of cartage, 266 - stage coach regulations, 266 - terminus, ground plan of 69 - ticket porters’ fares, 266 - transfer days at Bank, &c., 269 -watermen’s fares, 262 -penalties, 264 -bye laws, 264 Long Lawford, Village of, 170 Loughton, village of, 140 Luton, town of, 129 Lutterworth, town of, 168 Maxtoke castle, 195 -priory, 196 Messenger, 72 Milton, village of, 155 Miscot mill, 164 Morland, Chevalier, his acquaint¬ ance with the elastic nature of steam, 22 Newbold-on-Avon, 169 New cemetery, 81 Newcomen and Cawley, patentees of steam engine in 1705, 23 Newport Pagnell, town of, 143 Northampton, borough of, 155 Northchurch tunnel, 122 Oscott, Catholic college of, 196 Oxford canal bridge, 160 Oxley-lane cutting, 101 - bridge, 103 Paddington canal, 89 Palace of Canons, 87 Papin, Denis, inventor of the di- gestor, 22 Petrified tree, 173 Pinner, village of, 101 Primrose Hill, 75 -tunnel, 81 Railways, wooden, section of, 2S -iron first applied in con¬ structing, 30 -improved and wheel, section of, 31 Regent’s Canal, 77 - Park, 75 Reservoir Hill, 75 Rickmansworth, town of, 106 Roade, village of, 150 Roads, first application of steam carriages on, 26 Road Weedon, 160 Rugby, town of, 167 -mill, 169 Savery, Thomas, patentee of steam engine in 1698, 23 Salcey Forest, 147 Seats, Noblemen s 5? Gentlemen's. Bentley Priory, Marquis of Abercorn. 91 Berkswell Hall, J. E. Wilmot, Bart., 195 Brockhall, T. R. Thornton, Esq., 164 Cashiobury Park, Earl of Essex 113 Dove House, Mr. Tilbury, 101 Edgbaston Hall, Dr. E. John¬ stone, 219 Grimstone’s, Lady, 121 Grosvenor’s, Lord, 105 King's Mr. 105 Vlll. INDEX. Seats, fie continued. Langley Bury, Mr. Willinstall, 113 Bose Hill House, Capt. Foskett, 113 Stoke Park, 147 Stoneleigh, Chandos Leigh, Esq., 185 Tingewick, Duke of Bucking¬ ham, 143 Tring Park House, T. Hankey, Esq., 128 Vaughan, Baron, 105 Wembley Park, 91 Woburn Abbey, Duke of Bed¬ ford, 134 Sheldon, Valley of the, 195 Sherborne, Valley of the, 172 Signal apparatus, 74 St. Alban’s, Duke of, 110 - town of, 107 Stanmore, 100 Stations of the London and Bir¬ mingham Bailway. Berkhampstead, 119 Birmingham, 197 Blis worth, 155 Boxmoor, 117 Brandon, 170 Coventry, 175 Crick, 164 Hampton, 195 Harrow, 93 Leighton Buzzard, 133 Boade, 150 Bugby, 167 Tring, 122 Watford, 106 Weedon, 161 Wolverton, 141 Steam, applicability of to naviga¬ tion first proved, 24 -carriage,description of, 35 -figure of, 36 Steam, earliest application of, 19 -engines, trial of, 41 -diagram of, 42 -transverse section of, 45 Stoke Bruern church, 147 - Hammond, village of, 137 Stony Stratford, town of, 141 Stowe Hill, 160 Stratford-on-Avon, 192 Tame Biver, 196 Terraces, natural, 130 Tide table, 270 Towcester, town of, 158 Tram-roads, 31 Tring canvas manufactories, 124 - silk mill, 124 - town of, 123 Two-waters, village of, 116 Uxbridge, town of, 100 Warwick, Guy Earl of, 187 -public buildings at, 190 -town of, 186 Watford bridge and cutting, 164 -embankment, 104 -town of, 105 -tunnel, 111 -village of, 164 Watt, some account of, 23 Weedon Beck, 160 - church and barracks, 160 - Military depot at, 161 - village of, 161 Whitley viaduct, 173 Willesden, parish of, 88 Wolston priory, 171 --village of, 171 Wolverton church, 141 - viaduct, 144 Worcester, marquis of, his ac¬ quaintance with steam power in 1663, 21 Wormwood Scrubs, 88 Yardly, village of, 196 LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY. DIRECTORS. Geo. Carr Glyn, Esq., Chairman, £ Of the Joseph Frederick Ledsam, Esq., Deputy Chairman, > Board. Geo. Pearkes Barclay, Esq. James Brownell Boothby, Esq. Edmond Calvert, Esq. Thos. Cooke, Esq. Edward Cropper, Esq. Robert Garnett, Esq. Pascoe St. L. Grenfell, Esq. David Hodgson, Esq. Henry Houldsworth, Esq. Thos. Lowe, Esq. Willtam Phipson, Esq. John Lewis Prevost, Esq. Theodore W. Rathbone, Esq John Sturge, Esq. Thomas Tooke, Esq. Joseph Walker, Esq. Edward Wilson, Esq. Thos. Young, Esq. c . . C R. Creed, Esq. Secretaries, J c R Moobsom, Capt. R. N. Engineer in Chief, R. Stephenson, Esq. Resident Engineers |£ ^Do^kray, Esq. Contractor for Locomotive Power, E. Bury, Esq. Agent for Carrying Department, J. Baxendale, Esq Ditto Coaching Ditto A. Bagster, Esq. Solicitors employed by the Company . London.C. Parker, Esq. t}• • i C G. Barker, Esq Birmingham. ? S. Carter, Esq B 2 REGULATIONS. LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY. Omnibuses are appointed to convey Passengers every Train, to and from the Railway Station in London, and the following Offices, viz :— OFFICE. PASSING THROUGH The Spread Eagle, Grace-> Cheapside, Newgate-street, Holborn, and church Street. $ Red Lion Street. Cross Keys, Wood } St. Martin s-le-grand, Aldersgate-street, An- Street. 5 gel, Islington, and New Road. Swan with Two Necks, Lad Lane .. .. f Red Lion Street, Lambs Conduit Street George and Blue Boar,f Brunswick Square, and Judd Street. Holborn. 3 Spread Eagle, Regent Circus. f Regent Street, Oxford Street, John Street, Golden Cross, Charing C Portland Road. Cross. 3 The conveyances leave the above Offices, three quarters of an hour before the departure of the Trains, and the Fare, including Luggage, is 6d. for each Passenger, where likewise Post-horses may be obtained, as well as at the Railway Station, where they are kept in constant readiness. Charge, including Post-boy, 10s. 6d. HORNE & CHAPLIN, Proprietors. REGULATIONS. REGULATIONS. * • • ,* * • • * Note.—Attention is particularly requested i the •Tympany's Putilip Notices exhibited in each OMtei* S % * l »* c ** • A charge of 1 d. per lb. is made for Luggage accompanying a*fJas- senger, exceeding the weight of 100 lbs. for each person. * * The Company are not responsible for Luggage left for the conveni¬ ence of Parties, or till called for; nor for Luggage which has not the Passenger’s name and destination legibly marked thereon. Passengers are requested to claim their Luggage, after having passed through the Office, to insure its correct disposal; and if this precaution be omitted, the article will not be forwarded until application is made, and will then be charged as a booked parcel. Each Passenger’s Luggage, as far it can conveniently, is placed in or upon the Coach in which he has taken his place. Carpet Bags and small Luggage are placed underneath the seat opposite to that which the owner occupies. Each Passenger’s ticket for the First Class Train is numbered to cor¬ respond with the seat taken. The places by the Mixed Trains are not numbered. Passengers’ Tickets arfe only admissible with the Train expressed thereon; but if parties are desirous of transferring their seats to a suc¬ ceeding Train, on the same day, their Tickets will be exchanged. The doors of the Booking Offices are closed precisely at the ap pointed time for starting, after which no person can be admitted. Passengers can only be Booked at the Road Stations, on condition that there is room, on the arrival of the Train. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the Carriages, even with the con¬ sent of the Passengers, or upon the Stations. No gratuity, under any circumstances, is allowed to be taken by any servant of the Company. No persons are permitted to sell Liquors, or any other articles, upon the Line or Stations. Every Guard, Porter, or Policeman, employed by the Company, bears a distinguishing number on the collar. Ten minutes are allowed at the Wolverton Central Station, where a female attendant is appointed. •* 4 • l • . \B¥E laws. • \ • ! *. •• f * • »* • • • • .» « * • •\\ l * • • \\ LONDON. BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY. BYE LAWS. Whereas by an Act of Parliament passed in the third year of the reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth, intitled, “ An Act for making a Railway from London to Birmingham it is enacted as follows: (that is to say) By Sec. 154 it is enacted, “ That the said Company shall “ have full power and authority from time to time to make such “ Bye-laws, Orders, and Rules, as to them shall seem expedient “ for the good government of the Officers and Servants of the “ said Company, and for the regulating the proceedings, and “ reimbursing the expenses of the said Directors; and for the “ management of the said undertaking in all respects whatso- (i ever; and from time to time to alter or repeal such Bye-laws, “ Orders, and Rules, or any of them, and to make others, and “ to impose and inflict such reasonable fines and forfeitures “ upon all persons offending against the same, as to the said “ Company shall seem meet, not exceeding the sum of Five “ Pounds for any one offence, such fines and forfeitures to be “ levied and recovered as any penalty may by this Act be levied “ and recovered, which said Bye-laws, Orders, and Rules being “ reduced into writing under the Common Seal of the said “ Company, and printed and published and painted on boards, “ shall be hung up and affixed and continued, on the front, u or other conspicuous part of the several Toll-houses to be “ erected on the said Railway, and other buildings or places at “ which any rates or tolls shall be collected or paid under the “ authority of this Act, and shall from time to time be renewed “ as often as the same or any part thereof shall be obliterated “ or destroyed; and such Bye-laws, Orders, and Rules, shall “ be binding upon and be observed by all parties, and shall be BYE LAWS. 5 “ sufficient in all Courts of Law or Equity to justify all persons “ who shall act under the same, provided that such Bye-laws* “ Orders, or Rules be not repugnant to the laws of that part of “ the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, called “ England, or to any directions in this Act contained; and all “ such Bye-laws, Orders, and Rules shall he subject to appeal “ in manner hereinafter mentioned,” By Sec. 194 it is enacted: “ That it shall he lawful for the “ said Company from time to time to make such Orders and “ Regulations as they shall think proper for regulating the “ travelling upon and use of the said Railway, and for or relating “ to travellers and carriages passing upon the said Railway, and “ for or relating to the mode and means by which such Car- “ riages shall from time to time be moved or propelled, and the “ times of their departure and arrival, and the loading or un- “ loading thereof respectively, and the weights which they shall “ respectively carry, and the delivery of goods and other things “ which shall be conveyed in or upon such carriages, and also “ for preventing the smoking of tobacco, and the commission “ of any other nuisance in or upon any such carriages, or in “any of the Stations belonging to the said Company, and “ generally for regulating the passing upon, using or working “ the said Railway, and other works by this Act authorized, or “ in anywise relating thereto respectively; and all such Orders “ and Regulations shall be binding upon, and be conformed to “ by the said Company, and by all owners of and persons hav- “ ing the care or conduct of such Carriages, and by all persons “ using or working the said Railway and other works, upon pain “ of forfeiting and paying a sum not exceeding Five Pounds “for every default. Provided always, that in every case of “ infraction or non-observance of any such Rules or Regula- “ tions, which shall be attended with danger to the public, or “ which shall obstruct or hinder the said Company in their due “ and lawful use and working of the said Railway, it shall be “ lawful for the said Company and their Agents summarily to “ interfere to obviate such danger, or to remove or prevent such B 2 6 BYE LAWS. “ obstruction or hindrance, either by removing from the said u Railway any Engine or Carriage which shall be used or “ worked thereon in contravention of any such rules or regula- “ tions, or otherwise as the necessity of the case may require.” NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That the London and Birmingham Railway Company, established and incorporated by the said Act, have, by virtue of the powers hereinbefore-mentioned, some or one of them, made and reduced into writing under their Com¬ mon Seal, and have printed and published as required by the said Act, the following ORDERS AND REGULATIONS For regulating the travelling upon and use of the said Railway, and for and relating to travellers passing upon the said Railway, and for preventing the Smoking of Tobacco, and the commission of any other Nuisance in or upon any of the Carriages, or in any of the Stations belonging to the said Company, and generally for regulating the passing upon and using the said Railway. I. No Passenger will he allowed to take his seat in or upon any of the Company’s Carriages, or to travel therein upon the said Railway, without having first booked his Place and paid his Fare. Each Passenger hooking his Place will he considered as binding himself and agreeing to abide by and observe these Rules and Regulations so far as they concern himself: he will on hooking his place he furnished with a Ticket, which he is to shew when re¬ quired by the Guard in charge of the Train, and to deliver up prior to his quitting the Company’s premises at the end of his journey. Any Passenger refusing to produce on request, or at the end of the journey to give up his Ticket, BYE LAWS. 7 will be required to pay the Fare from the place whence tlie Train originally started, or in default thereof is hereby made liable to the Penalty of Forty Shillings. II. Passengers at the Road Stations will only be booked conditionally, (that is to say) in case there shall be room in the Train for which they are booked; in case there shall not be room, Passengers booked for the longest dis¬ tance will be allowed the preference. Passengers booked for the same distance will have priority according to the order in which they are booked. III. Any Passenger who shall have paid his Fare for a second-class Carriage, and shall ride in or upon a first- class Carriage, shall forfeit the sum of Forty Shillings. IV. Dogs will be charged for according to distance, but they will on no account be permitted to accompany Pas¬ sengers in the Carriages. V. Smoking is strictly prohibited both in and upon the Carriages, and in the Company’s Stations. Any Passen¬ ger persisting in Smoking after being warned not to do so, is hereby subjected to a Fine of Forty Shillings, and in case of his persisting after a second warning, he will im¬ mediately, or (if travelling) at the first stopping place, be removed from the Company’s Premises, and forfeit his Fare. VI. Any Passenger in a state of intoxication, commit- ing any nuisance, or wilfully interfering with the comfort of other Passengers, obstructing any of the Company’s Officers in the discharge of their duty, or not attending to the directions of the Guard, in cases where the personal safety of himself or any of the Passengers is concerned, will be immediately removed from the Company’s Pre¬ mises, or in case he shall at the time be travelling, then at the next Station, or as soon after the offence as conve¬ niently may be, and shall forfeit his Fare. 8 BYE LAWS. VII. Any Passenger wilfully cutting the Lining, remov¬ ing or defacing the number Plates, breaking the Windows, or otherwise damaging any of the Company’s Carriages, shall he fined Five Pounds. VIII. The charge made for Passengers does not extend to Luggage. The Company will not in any case he an¬ swerable for Luggage, unless the Passenger to whom the same belongs shall have hooked and paid for it; on hook¬ ing, a Ticket will be given to the Owner, and a corres¬ ponding Ticket affixed to the Luggage, and the Luggage will only he delivered to the party producing such Ticket. A charge of sixpence will he made for each Passenger’s Luggage not exceeding 112lbs. in weight for the whole distance, and an additional charge of One Penny per lb. above that weight. The attention of Passengers is re¬ quested to the legal Notice exhibited in the Booking Offices, limiting the Company’s responsibility for Luggage or Goods booked by any of their Carriages. IX. The Company’s Porters will render every facility to passengers in loading and unloading Luggage at the different Stations. No Fee or Gratuity is permitted to he taken by any of the Company’s Servants under any cir¬ cumstances whatever, under pain of instant dismissal. N.B. By the Act of Parliament above-mentioned, after pro¬ viding for the Recovery of Penalties, and directing that one- half thereof shall go to the Informer, and the other half to the Company, it is by the 211th Section enacted, “ That it shall be u lawful for any Officer or Agent of the said Company, and all “ such persons as he shall call to his assistance, to seize and detain any person whose name and residence shall be un- “ known to such Officer or Agent who shall commit any offence “ against this Act, and to convey him before some Justice for “ the County, Liberty, or Place vrithin which such Offence “ shall be committed, without any other warrant or authority “ than this Act; and such Justice is hereby empowered and re- “ quired to proceed immediately to the hearing and determining “ of the Complaint.” RATES OF CARRIAGES AND HORSES. RATES OF CARRIAGES AND HORSES. TO AND FROM CARRIAGES. HORSES. No. 1. No. 2. each. London Birmingham and and Berkhampstead Rugby .. 20 s. 15s. 20 s. Wolverton Wolverton 35s. 25s. 30s. Rugby Berkhampstead 55s. 40s. 42s. Birmingham London .. 75s. 55s. 50s. The charge for intermediate Distances is in the same proportion as the above Rates, but no less Rate than 20s. and Ids. for any Distance. The same Rates are charged ,or both two and four wheels, as per No. 1; and when two vehicles can be p^ced on one truck, as per No. 2. N.B. Gentlemen’s Carriages and Horses must be at the Stations at least a quarter of an hour before the time of departure. A supply of Trucks will be kept at all the principal Sta¬ tions on the Line; but, to prevent disappointment, it is recommended that previous notice should be given at the Station where they may be required. Passengers travelling in or on gentlemen’s carriages, as well as G rooms in care of horses, are charged Second Class Fares. No Horses can be taken by a First Class Train, except when they belong to a carriage or passenger accompanying such train, or to gentlemen who are travellers by it. HORSES. The London and Birmingham Railway Company will not, under any circumstances, be answerable for injury to Horses conveyed upon their Railway. And they will not receive any Horse for conveyance unless accompanied by a declaration, signed by the Owner, or his authorised Agent, that the Company are not to be liable for injury to such Horse while in their custody, although every proper pre¬ caution will be taken to secure their safe conveyance. • IUVI[ -fimwMQ g g g g g g g « ?*, a, a, a, si, e d os «> tJ< rjH r>* r* Hi—1 CO i—1 CO H CO Tt< g g g si. ©« « H CO d "S" <1 1 n0 03 | ' d iv \vauxy . © r-i CO nji 00 05 » be rd rH H5 .s no'idwvjj HO »o »0 n3 *s q cc co CO o rO rd 05 CM rH H c3 H 03 A 00 CM CO CM CO 00 rH H H - 1 ’uopddji q *© »0 —< r^ Jh o t-5 f» H O) H O) H M rH H to ’i[}dojmiQ H CO rH CO rH 00 rH • t>! i-H (M* ■ CO rH rH CM q 9 n B rH rH rH m rH o Pk o o 03 2 •dpvopp h. m. 7.25 12.20 5.20 fe w < 11.20 @ d HC0»O00‘OG0*O*O S | CO *H CO »C CO »0 ! h >» rO 03 Vi O IT 1 rH 1 rH H rH < to rH rH no » CO i> co i> •/I ’B % •uoiqdid'j g rH > r-J rH . rH rH Tt< 1> r—1 rH 6 h N «P CD «3j rH rH & rH P _ »o co vs co »o co co H & co »o CO CO MJ d o § fc> H ' 6 UldJj g CO'^CO'^CO'^IH . ci ©’ S3 to rd rH q ¥ o r CO 05 CO 05 CO 05 05 CO 05 o •rj to 0 •pdoftv^l q vs *o vs vs vs • 00 05 r-i modf din^ivddQ e « « si, a, si, si Hl(N ooaH^^»ooo rH « e si, si, Hcs 00 rH »0 00 F"^ O 8 a ^no 43 CJ xn £ H . . . . tj . C • • H • • o * s : : a ; \& : _ ^4 . tx . • t; d • H o ^ • IH rt i-i cm TjJ co oo co ,0 i-H i”H tg (M* no CO o ^ * uo'mdid'j h. m. 7.24 10.58 12. 5 L 4.28 ^ no 00 CM. . CM tg . CO CO fi »0 r< 1© H d © co rji c© go rD l-H i* < 3 & £ 10.57 4.13 « is 'uopddjfa h. m. 9.23 10.38 2.53 7 53 10.38 3.53 - ^ o 03 *43 ’I 1 s -1 0) O cl o h.m. 9. 3 2.33 7.33 m 3.33 •/Iqdnyr A GO GO 00 OO 00 GO 00 c co *o # *o no A go’ 05 ©)" CO no’ tg l-H X 00 oo no 05 CO i-H bo .S .5 15 ’uopuvjQ h.m. 8.18 1.48 6.48 2.48 i i "s i 'fiuiudaoQ rH »C i-H »C O r-H i—1 S . . 3 0 2 0 Bow Church. 26 18 Bond Street, Oxfoiu Street .2 0 14 Berkeley Square. 20 14 Bedford Square.1 6 1 0 British Museum. 10 08 Bricklayer’s Arms. 40 28 Bryanston Square. 20 14 City Boundary, Aldgate. 36 24 -, Aldersgate Street .. 2 6 18 -, Holborn Bars .. ..16 10 Charing Cross Statue. 2 0 14 -, GoMen v^ross.2 6 18 Covent Garden Piazza . 2 0 14 Crown and Anchor, S hand .2 0 14 Colosseum .. .. . 16 10 Custom House Stairs . 36 24 Drury-lane Theatre . 16 10 Exeter Hall .20 14 Elephant and Castle. 36 24 Eaton Square. 40 28 Finsbury Square. 30 20 Freemason’s Tavern •.16 10 Fitzroy Square. 10 08 Foundling Hospital. ...16 10 General Post Office . 26 18 Gracechurch Street, Spread Eag'e .. ..3 0 2 0 Greenwich Railway. 36 24 Gloster Coffee House, Oxford-stieet ..20 14 Holborn, George and Elue Boar.. .. 16 10 Horse Guards.20 14 House of Commons. 26 18 Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly. 3 0 2 0 Hatchett’s Hotel, Piccadilly .... 2 6 18 Hyde Park, Edgeware Road.2 0 14 Islington Church. 20 14 India House. 30 20 King’s Cross . 10 08 Kennington Cross. 40 28 C 14 HACKNEY COACH FARES. Coach Fares. Cab Fares, s. d. s. d. Lad Lane, Swan with Two Necks .. 2 6 18 London Hospital . 40 28 —-- Institution, Moorfields .. .. 3 0 2 0 London Bridge Wharf. 30 20 Lambeth, Three Stags. 36 24 Mint, Tower Hill. 36 24 Marsh Gate, Lambeth. 30 20 Middlesex Hospital. 16 10 Opera House . 20 14 Obelisk, St George’s Fields. 3 6 2 4 Portman Square. 2 0 14 Pantheon Bazaar.16 10 Pantechnicon, Knightsbridge .... 3 0 2 0 Ratcliff Highway, Coach Stand .. ..4 6 3 0 Regent Circus, Oxford Street .... 16 13 -Piccadilly (Chaplin’s Office) 2 0 14 Soho Square. 16 10 Somerset House ..2 0 14 Sadler’s Wells Theatre. 2 0 14 Session’s House, Clerkenwell ..2 0 14 Surrey Chapel, Blackfriars-road .... 3 6 2 4 Shoreditch Church. 30 20 St. Katherine’s Wharf. 40 28 St. Luke’s Hospital.26 18 St. Paul’s, Ludgate Hill . 2 6 18 St. James’s Palace.20 14 Temple Bar. 20 14 Vauxhall Gardens. 46 30 Westminster Bridge. 26 18 Welsh School, Gray’s Inn Road .. ..16 10 Whitechapel Church. 40 28 White Conduit House.20 14 Wood Street, Cross Keys. 2 6 18 Yorkshire Stingo .20 14 Zoological Garden's, Regent’s Park .. 2 0 14 -, Surrey. 4 6 3 0 FARES BY TIME. For any Time not exceeding thirty minutes, Is.; above thirty minutes and not exceeding forty-five, Is. 6d.; above forty-five minutes and not exceeding one hour, 2s.; and for any time exceeding one hour, after the rate of 6d. for every fifteen minutes, or fractional part of fifteen minutes. CABRIOLET FARES arc one-third less than the above. HACKNEY COACH FARES. 15 HACKNEY COACH FARES. DRAWN BY TWO H ORSES. Not exceeding half a mile, Is.; ditto one mile ls.6d. ditto one mile and a half, 2s.; ditto two miles, 2s. 6d.; ditto three miles, 3s. 6d.; ditto four miles, 5s. DRAWN BY ONE HORSE. Not exceeding one mile, Is.; ditto one mile and a half, Is. 6d.; ditto two miles, 2s.; ditto two miles and a half, 2s. 6d.; ditto three miles, 3s.; ditto three miles and a half, 3s. 6d.; ditto four miles, 4s. Returning with the same Fare, half the foregoing charges. TIME. Between the hours of nine in the morning and twelve at night, twenty mi¬ nutes, 6d.; forty minutes, Is.; every twenty minutes above forty, 6d. for being detained. TIME. Between twelve at night and six in the morning, double the foregoing fares. PENALTY. Not exceeding twenty shillings, for every offence, in case any driver shall refuse to show a list of the above fares, if required. HACKNEY COACH FARES, DRAWN BY ONE HORSE. Measured from the Railway Station , Birmingham. Yards. Fare. s. d. Albion Hotel . 880 1 0 Botanic Gardens, Edgbaston 4150 2 6 Bell Inn, Bristol Road . 1850 1 6 Birmingham Canal Office, Paradise Street one mile 1 0 Crescent (any part). 1 6 Dee’s Royal Hotel. 985 1 0 Deaf and Dumb Institution . 3850 2 6 Deritend Bridge. 1120 1 0 Edgbaston Church, by Bristol Road.. 3900 2 6 -by Broad-street 4630 3 0 Edgbaston, Wellington-street, Bristol Road 2700 2 0 Five Ways Toll Gate, by Exeter Row .. 2970 2 0 -by Broad-street 3050 2 0 Free School, New-street. 1130 1 0 General Hospital . one mile 1 0 Hen and Chickens Hotel . 1115 1 0 Icknield Bridge, Monument Road .. 3520 2 0 News Room. 1325 1 0 Old Square, Stork Hotel. 840 1 o Post Office . 1433 1 0 Plough and Harrow Inn, Hingley Road .. 3670 2 6 Swan Hotel. 1065 1 0 St. Martin’s Church. 1000 1 0 St. Philip’s Church (Dee’s Hotel) .. 990 1 0 St. George’s Church. 1980 1 6 St. Mary’s Chapel. 1030 1 0 St. Paul’s Chapel, Ludgate Hill 1860 1 6 Sand Pit3 Toll-gate. 2990 2 0 Trinity Chapel, Deritend. 2000 1 6 Town Hall . 1590 1 0 Theatre . 1430 1 0 1G BRANCH TRAFFIC. BRANCH TRAFFIC. Arrangements have been made with the principal Coun¬ try Coach Proprietors, for the establishment of branch conveyances to and from the Railway Stations and the neighbouring Towns, and the Midland and Northern Counties and North Wales, and information may be ob¬ tained, and places secured by such branch Coaches, at the following offices of Messrs. Horne and Chaplin, viz.:— Spread Eagle Cross Keys Swan with Two Necks George and Blue Boar Spread Eagle Golden Cross .. Gracechurch Street Wood Street Lad Lane Holborn Regent Circus Charing Cross. And where also Parcels will he received on behalf of the Railway Company, one hour previously to the departure of each Train. HISTORY OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF RAILWAYS. If a survey be taken of the various nations of the earth, it will doubtless be found, that the most promi¬ nent feature which distinguishes the regions of civili¬ zation from those of the savage, and indicates the march of improvement, is the general facility for com¬ munication. This characteristic of a country is a sure criterion by which to judge of its inhabitants ; where rivers and lakes have been made navigable, har¬ bours cleared, bordered by docks and quays, and in¬ dented by piers, and where the inland districts are intersected by high roads and canals, there we point to the abode of civilized man; and where huge towns are connected by railroads, by which a daily exchange of their mercantile multitudes takes place, by which as it w r ere two huge rivers of living beings are flowing side by side in opposite directions, between the large towns and cities; in a land in which this is the case, we may safely say that its people are in the very front c 2 18 RISE AND PROGRESS of human progression; but where the harbours, lakes, and rivers are unimproved, and the country hut vaguely marked by the lonely and scarcely traceable footpath, there is the region of desolation, the haunt of the wild beast and the savage. The advance of human improvement bears an ana¬ logy to a geometrical progression. The darkness and ignorance of ancient ages preclude the possibility of an exact history of the early efforts at human advance¬ ment ; but still we are enabled by philosophy to de¬ clare the causal conditions essential to the production of the effects which history speaks of. The first ge¬ neral knowledge that man attained must have related to the means of obtaining subsistence, then after long ages came the notion of communicating by signs or hieroglyphics, then after another lapse came the sug¬ gestion of the alphabet, and the communication of knowledge by manuscripts; this led in the course of time to the invention of printing, and this latter to the wider diffusion of knowledge, and the attraction of a greater number of individuals into the vortex of phi¬ losophy ; after this the impatient bounding forwards of the human intellect becomes more striking; the more ancient the times, the longer the intervals between the different discoveries; the more modern, the shorter are these lapses. After the discovery of printing, the number of improvements thicken so fast upon us, and these, forming merely fresh starting places for the phi¬ losophers, lead to such a multitude of fresh advances, that we are almost bewildered in the wondrous con¬ templation, till attracted by that greatest of discoveries OF RAILWAYS. 19 -—the one which most influences human action and happiness,—the practical applicability of the expansi¬ bility of water into steam as a motive power. Great discoveries in science may he ranked among the greatest class of natural events, so great is their modyfying influence on human destiny. These dis¬ coveries generally spring from the most trifling cir¬ cumstances, occurrences which must have been ob¬ served thousands of times by numerous generations; but, for these to suggest the notion of scientific disco¬ very, a peculiar philosophic susceptibility is requisite. In the various modifications of knowledge, the multi¬ plicity of thought that has been excited in the human brain that constitutes the intellectual sequence of ef¬ fects, how often must the knowledge of the falling of things towards the centre of the earth, or the oscilla¬ tory motion of pendulous bodies, or the expansibility of water into steam, and the elastic force of the latter, have been in excitement in ordinary heads, and no discovery took place; but when a peculiar philoso¬ phic susceptibility becomes acted on by the same cir¬ cumstances, the apple falling to the ground suggests the notion of gravity, and the explanation of the pla¬ netary motions; the swinging of a lamp suggests the notion of the use of the pendulum as a measure of time; and the change of water into the elastic fluid steam, suggests its utility as a motive power in ma¬ chinery. The earliest application of steam as a mechanical prime mover that we read of in history, is the instance of a machine by Hero, a philosopher of Alexandria, 20 RISE AND PROGRESS who lived in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphia, nearly 2000 years ago. This instrument was of a very sim¬ ple character; it consisted of a spherical boiler, revolv¬ ing on an axis, and this being partly filled with water, and a fire placed under it, the steam was ah owed to es¬ cape in such a direction from a tube or tubes, as to make the sphere recoil in the opposite direction, and thus turn on its axis in a somewhat similar way to that in which the wheels in fire-works are made to re¬ volve in an opposite direction to that in which the combustibles explode. This machine was a mere toy, not being applied by tbe ancients to any purpose of practical utility. In the 12th century heated water was applied at Rheims by a Professor of the Schools, called Gerbert, to the working of an organ and the production of sound. In 1543, an experiment was instituted at Barcelona by order of Charles V., on the suggestion of a naval officer, Blasco de Garay, when the latter propelled a vessel without sails or oars, by the agency of boiling water and some mechanical con¬ trivance. About the year 1606, Baptista Porta, the inventor of the Camera Obscura, an Italian, describes a fountain in which water may be raised by the agency of steam. In 1615, Solomon de Caus, engineer to Louis XIII. of France, illustrates by a figure the pro¬ cess by which steam might be used to elevate water. In 1629, Giovanni Branca, an Italian, published a plan by which steam might be used as a motive power. He proposed that a stream of steam should be poured fourth from the spout of a boiler, and that in this the vanes or sails of a wheel should be placed, so as to be OF RAILWAYS. 21 acted on by it in the same manner that a windmill is by a stream of air. In 1663,, the Marquis of Worcester published a hook entitled “A Century of the Names and Scantlings of such Inventions as at present I can call to Mind to have Tried and Perfected.” In this work the nobleman in his peculiar egotistical style, indicates his acquaint¬ ance with the nature of steam; he thus describes an experiment and also an engine constructed by him, “ I have invented an admirable and most forcible way to drive up water by tire, not by drawing or sucking it upwards—for that must be, as the philosopher call- eth it, intra sphcsram activitatis, which is but at such a distance. But this way hath no bounder, if the ves¬ sels be strong enough ; for I have taken a piece of a whole cannon, whereof the end was burst, and filled it three quarters full of water, stopping and screwing up the broken end, as also the touch-hole, and, making a constant fire under, within twenty-four hours it burst and made a great crack; so that, having a way to make my vessels, so that they are strengthened by the force within them, and the one to fill after the other, I have seen the water run like a constant foun¬ tain stream, forty feet high ; one vessel of water, rari- fied by fire, driveth up forty of cold water. And a man that tends the work is but to turn two cocks, that, one vessel of water being consumed, another begins to force and refill with cold water, and so successively ; the fire being tended and kept constant, which the self-same person may likewise abundantly perform in the interim between the necessity of turning the said 22 RISE AND PROGRESS cocks.” In the index to his book this is called a “ fire water work.” In article XCV1II, again, there seems to he reference to a steam engine. He says, “ An en¬ gine so contrived, that, working the primum mobile for¬ ward or backward, upward or downward, circulating or cornerwise, to and fro, streight, upright, or downright, yet the pretended operation continueth and advanceth, none of the motions above mentioned hindering, much less stopping the other; but, unanimously, aud with harmony agreeing, they all augment and contribute strength unto the intended work and operation ; and, therefore, I call this a semi-omnipotent engine, and do intend that a model thereof he buried with me.” The following extract from a work of Chevalier Morland’s, which was published in the year 1683, shews his acquaintance with the elastic nature of steam. “ Water being evaporated by the force of fire, these vapours shortly acquire a greater space (about 2000 times) than the water occupied before; and, were it to he closely confined, would burst a piece of can¬ non. But, being regulated according to the rules of statics, and reduced by science to measure, weight, and balance, then they carry their burden peaceably, like good horses, and thus become of great use to mankind, particularly for raising water, according to the follow¬ ing table, which shews the number of pounds that can be raised 1800 times per hour, to six inches in height, by cylinders half filled with water, as well as the differ¬ ent diameters and depths of the said cylinders.” Denis Papin, a native of Blois, in France, was the inventor of the digestor known by his name, and the OF RAILWAYS. 23 safety-valve; he also discovered the mode of produc¬ ing the action of the piston in the cylinder. In the “ Acta Eruditorum” published at Leipsic, 1690, he mentions an engine which he constructed. Thomas S a very, about the year 1698, took out a pa¬ tent for a steam engine of a very ingenious nature, that was strongly recommended for pumping water out of mines. This was very much improved by Desagu- liers, who, in 1718 constructed one of these engines for Peter the Great, as an agent in the production of an artificial fountain in his gardens at St. Petersburgh. Newcomen and Cawley, of Dartmouth, the former an ironmonger, and the latter a plumber, made several improvements in the application of steam, and in the year 1705 with Savery took out a patent for an engine, in which the plan of Papin, of producing motion by a piston and cylinder, formed a prominent feature. By 1713 they had manufactured several good working en¬ gines. In the year 1736 was born the illustrious James Watt, at Greenock. At the age of 16 he was appren¬ ticed to a mathematical instrument maker, with whom he spent four years, at the termination of which he went to London, where he pursued his avocation for some time, and then returned to Scotland, and com¬ menced business on his own account at Glasgow, where in 1757, he was appointed mathematical instrument maker to the University. By his connection with the University he became acquainted with the celebrated Dr. Robinson, then a student at Glasgow, and by him Watt’s attention was directed to the steam engine. A 24 RISE AND PROGRESS variety of experiments were instituted by Watt, and fol¬ lowed up with such perseverance and success, that he completely re-modified the machinery, and so much im¬ proved on the plans of his precursors, that he has by some been called the discoverer of the steam engine. The steam engine has long been in use for pumping water out of mines, and where a great power is requir¬ ed, as in mills, manufactories, &c., it has been pretty generally adopted. Many vague notions of the applicability of steam to navigation as a power, by which vessels might be im¬ pelled, had often been expressed, and some partially successful experiments had been tried, but it was not until the year 1807 that the practicability of steam na¬ vigation was satisfactorily demonstrated. Mr. Fulton, an American engineer, being convinced of the possi¬ bility of impelling vessels by steam, had, while resident in France, tried many experiments, and submitted his schemes to the inspection of Napoleon Buonaparte, with a view of getting him to adopt steam-boats as his transport ships in the intended invasion of England; he, however, did not receive much encouragement, and returned to America, where he constructed a steam boat and had it launched at New York, in the year 1807. He had, like all advocates of a new opinion, been much ridiculed and laughed at, and though his first voyage of 160 miles, between New York and Al¬ bany, was quite successful, he was told that he could not do it again, and, indeed, he was asked, if he could, of what use would his discovery be ? The following description of Fulton’s vessel, by an American writer. OF RAILWAYS. 25 will afford some idea of the degree of excitement which it must have produced : “ She had the most terrific appearance from other vessels which were navigating the river. The first steamers, as others yet do, used dry pine wood for fuel, which sent forth a column of ignited vapour, many feet above the flue, and, whenever the fire is stirred, a galaxy of sparks fly off, and, in the night, have a very brilliant and beautiful appearance. Notwithstanding the wind and tide were adverse to its approach, they saw, with astonishment, that it was rapidly coming to¬ wards them; and, when it came so near that the noise of the machinery and paddles was heard, the crews, in some instances, shrunk beneath their decks from the terrific sight, and left their vessels to go on shore, while others prostrated themselves, and besought Pro¬ vidence to protect them from the approach of the hor¬ rible monster which was marching on the tides, and lighting its path by the fires which it vomited.” After this successful experiment, steam boats soon became common in the navigable rivers and lakes, and for coasting, and in course of time they were en¬ abled to cross the channels in voyages such as between Holyhead and Dublin, and Liverpool and Dublin, Bristol, Dublin, Cork, &c. A General Steam Na¬ vigation rapidly sprang into existence, and steam¬ ers at the present time may be found plying about in most parts of the world, even across the Atlantic to and from America, bringing the Europeans within a fort¬ night’s sail of their brethren of the great Western Land. The notion of applying steam power to impel car- D 26 RISE AND PROGRESS riages on roads seems to have been common since the time of Watt; that philosopher tried experiments of this kind himself, but was unsuccessful, and Mr. Tre¬ vithick, in the year 1802, had actually constructed an engine to run on common roads; but, ordinary roads being found unsuitable from their uneven character, the idea of trying the engines on railways was suggest¬ ed. Prior to this period railways had been long in use in such places as coal mines and stone quarries, where the constant carriage of heavy loads for short distances was needed; animate power, such as that of horses, was commonly used to draw the waggons on these roads. It is not in our power to say at what period, or in what place, railways were first constructed, but, it is reasonable to suppose, that no one would go to the ex¬ pense of forming a railway, except on a line of ground over which a constant carriage of heavy goods was re¬ quisite ; hence it may be presumed that the first rail¬ ways were means of communication between mines or quarries, and canals, navigable rivers, roads, &c. The principal collieries in Britain or indeed in the world, are those of Newcastle-upon-Tyne; hence it is probable that the first engine railways were laid in that neighbourhood; it, however, appears from a record in one of the books of the free companies in Newcastle, dated 1602, that “ from tyme out of mynd yt hath been accustomed that all cole waynes did usually carry and bring eight baulls of coles to all the staythes upon the ryver Tyne, but of late several hath brought only or scarce seven baulls.” And also Mr. Gray, in a work OF RAILWAYS. 27 published 1649, in which he gave a description of Newcastle and its neighbourhood, says, “ Many thou¬ sand people are employed in this trade of coales ; many live by conveying them in waggons and waines to the river Tyne.” In the works from which these extracts are taken, there is no reference to any railway between the mines and wharfs, and if such had existed at the time, it is certain that it would have been referred to; and, indeed, from Mr. Gray we should doubtless have had an accurate description of so strikingly advantageous a mode of conveyance. In the “ Life of the Lord Keeper North,” mention is made of wooden railways having been laid down in the Newcastle Collieries, about the year 1670; and in the article on railroads, in the British Cyclopoedia, the following extract which the article implies as belonging to a work dated 1676, is quoted; “The manner of the carriage is by laying rails of timber from the colliery to the river exactly straight and parallel; and bulky carts are made with four rollers fitting those rails, whereby the carriage is so easy, that one horse will draw down four or five chaldron of coals, and is an immense benefit to the coal-merchants.” It is proper to remark that the name of the authority from whom this extract is made is not mentioned in the article alluded to. Any at¬ tempt at deciding who was the inventor or introducer of this first rude effort, would, with the data which we have to go on, be perfectly chimerical, neither are we au¬ thorised in saying at what precise date it was adopted. In the construction of the wooden railway, a line of plane surface had first to be formed from the coal 28 RISE AND PROGRESS pits to the wharfs; then on this was laid crossways along the line strong staves of timber, about two feet distant from each other; these are called sleepers, and on them were fixed the rails, so that if a rail were six feet long, it would rest on, and be supported by three of the transverse sleepers. Various improve¬ ments were however made from time to time; the rapid wear of the rails by the friction of the wheels or rollers, which were of wood, and the destruction of the sleepers by the feet of the horses, led to the introduc¬ tion of" double rails,” and this idea was suggested by observing the strength afforded by the slips of timber that were laid on the delapidated portions. The fol- lowiag section will serve to illustrate the nature of the improved wooden railway. , / 1 a c d * / < c 6 e 5 \ Ufa. mi a, Hr m a, a, a . Ends of the wooden sleepers. b, 6. The lower rail resting on the transverse sleep¬ ers a, a , a, and fastened to them. This was the whole of the original single railway. The rails are united over the centre of a sleeper at e, e. c , c. The upper rails laid upon the others, and firmly secured to them by wooden pins. The join¬ ings d, d, are situated at any place in the length, which allows of an injured portion being replaced without injuring the substructure. This double rail, by increasing the height, allowed the inside of the road to be filled up with proper ma- OF RAILWAYS. 29 terial, and thereby prevented the wear of the sleepers hv the horses’ feet. The weight of the load drawn on these roads by one horse was three tons, which was effected without distressing the animal. These railroads generally followed the undulations of the country, and in descending the declivities, breaks were used to the wheels, which, being pressed by a lever against their surface, prevented them revolving, thereby increasing the friction and retarding the mo¬ tion of the waggon. The breaks however very imper¬ fectly performed the intended purpose, and many se¬ rious accidents occurred, which ultimately led to farther improvement. The wooden rail was used pretty generally for a long time in the collieries and mines of Great Britain; hut its faultiness in respect to its inadequacy to hear the requisite amount of friction, soon gave the stimu¬ lus to further improvement. The first attempt at this, the doubling of the rails, was unsatisfactory; then they were coated with sheet iron on those surfaces, and in those places on the line where there was most liability to wear. After this, iron rails were nailed on the wooden ones, and eventually were substituted for them altogether. With whom this improvement originated, it is dif¬ ficult to determine. On the one hand, we are told that “ in 1738, cast iron rails were first substituted for wooden ones; but, owing to the old waggons continuing to be employed, which were of too much weight for the cast iron, they did not completely suc¬ ceed in the first attempt. However, about 1768, a d 2 30 RISE AND PROGRESS simple contrivance was attempted, which was to make a number of smaller waggons, and link them together, and by thus diffusing the weight of one large waggon into many, the principal cause of the failure in the first instance was removed, because the weight was more divided upon the iron.”* Then, on the other hand, Mr. R. Stephenson states, “ I, some years since, visited the great iron works of Colebrook Dale, in Shropshire, where cast-iron was indisputably first ap¬ plied to the construction of bridges; and according to the information which I have been able to obtain, it was here also that railways of that material were first constructed. It appears from the hooks of this exten¬ sive and long-established company, that between five and six tons of rails were cast on the 13th of Novem¬ ber, 1767, as an experiment, on the suggestion of Mr. Reynolds, one of the partners.” Again, in the “ Coal Viewer and Engine Builder,” published in 1797, Mr. Car says, “ The making and use of iron railroads were the first of my inventions, and were introduced at the Sheffield Colliery about 20 years ago.” The first metal rails that were used were iron plates with a guiding flange; they were fastened on the sleepers by means of a spike. This kind of railway obtained the name of a tram-road. Sometimes wooden blocks were used instead of sleepers ; and towards the close of the last century, blocks of stone were adopted for this purpose in the neighbourhood of Newcastle, at the Little Eaton Railway near Derby, and also at other places. Contemporaneously with these changes * Trans. Highland Society, b. 6, p. 7. OF RAILWAYS. 31 in the railway, were a number of improvements in the wheel used on it; and the wooden rollers were gradu¬ ally improved upon, until they were eventually entirely superseded by the cast iron wheels. The following is a transverse section of the improved railway and wheel. a . The block of stone sunk in the road, having the tram-plate b fixed firmly to it by the iron spike driven through the base of the plate into the wooden plug c, which is fixed in the block; b b is the tram- plate, with a flat surface for the wheel to run in, and a side upright ledge or flange to keep the wheel in its place ; d the horse road. The tram-road is objectionable, from its liability to get clogged with dirt and stones from the road; and in the march of improvement, one invention rapidly following another, the edge rail made its appearance soon after the tram-plate. This, from its freedom from the objections urged against the other form of rail, has been adopted in all the great modern rail- 32 RISE AND PROGRESS ways; but still the tram-road is very extensively used, particularly in Wales. The edge rails are fixed by means of iron chairs, which are fastened to the block. The form of chair and mode of fixing has been latterly much altered and improved; it is, however, unneces¬ sary for us to describe the various inferior modifica¬ tions and advances towards perfection, as the sections and explanations of the more improved form will give a sufficient knowledge of the principle on which the rails are fastened. Figs. 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 . The letters in these figures refer to the same parts in each section. The patent for this chair was granted to Mr. Robert Stephenson in 1833; the principal object of his im¬ provement was to provide firm and secure bearings at the bottom cf the notches in the chairs for the rails to rest upon, such bearings being capable of self adjust¬ ment, in order that they may adapt themselves cor¬ rectly to the under side of the rails; and also for pro¬ viding adequate means for fastening the iron rails securely upon such self-adjusting bearings, and keep¬ ing them properly fixed within the notches in the chairs. The following is a description of the different parts. Fig. 1 . Is a perspective view of the rails which join together with a sort of half lap-joint, as is shewn at a , a. Fig. 2. Is a lateral elevation. Fig 3. A transverse section. Fig. 4. A horizontal plan of the chair and rail. Figs. 5 and 6 . Are perspective views of ditto. OF RAILWAYS. 33 Fig'.l . a. The side of the rail. a , a. The top of the rail, on which the wheels of the carriages move. b. The flat base of the chair. b. The hole in the rail for receiving the end of the pin p. 34 RISE AND PROGRESS c. The cheeks of the chair. c, c. The cotters which pass through a hole in the pins p and keep them firm in their places. b, p. The segmental bearing piece, having its flat surface towards the rail, and its circular side resting in a suitable cavity, in the bottom of the chair. h. The hole through the flat base of the chair for fastening it down to the block or sleeper. -Fig: 7 Fig. 7.* OF RAILWAYS. 35 Figs. 7, 7 a , 8, and 9. Represent the rails and chairs now most in use. Fig. 7. Perspective view of the rail. Fig. 7a. Vertical section of ditto. Fig. 8, Vertical section of a rail and chair. Fig. 9. Perspective view of ditto. R. Side and end of the rail. a. Upper surface of the rail on which the carriages move. b. Lower surface of the rail which rests on the bottom of the notch in the chair. d and e. The cheeks of the chair. w. A wooden wedge which is driven tightly be¬ tween the cheek d and the side of the rail r, and thereby keeps the rail firm against the cheek e. h, h. The pin holes by which the chair is fastened to the blocks or sleepers. The adoption of the edge rail involved a change in the form of the wheels; the guiding flange being re¬ moved from the rail, it was necessary that a flange be put on the wheels to secure them from rolling off the rails. The figure on the next page will shew the secu¬ rity of the wheels on the edge rail, by means of the ledge or flange of the wheel. The steam carriage that was constructed by Messrs. Trevithick and Vivian, was found unqualified for use on the common road, hut proved highly successful when tried on the tram-plate; this event took place in 1804, and was the first locomotive engine that im¬ pelled itself on a railway. In 1811, Mr. Blenkinsop took out a patent for 36 RISE AND PROGRESS tc certain mechanical means by which the conveyance of coals, minerals, and other articles, is facilitated, and the expense attending the same rendered less than heretofore.” This plan consisted in laying down a OF RAILWAYS. 37 toothed rail at one side of the railway, in which acted a toothed wheel, which, being turned by the ma¬ chinery, impelled the engine forwards. This plan has been long in use for bringing coal from the Middleton Collieries to Leeds, and has been found to answer its purpose well; it has also been tried in other places. The toothed rail and wheel were required for the purpose of going over an ascend¬ ing line of railway; hut where the whole line was level, they were not needed. The apprehension that there would not he sufficient adhesiveness between the wheel and rail to draw a train of carriages, and that if much weight were affixed to the engine, its wheels would slip round on the rail, and not bite sufficiently to roll forwards, up an inclination or even on a level, seems to have actuated the mechanists for some time, until at length experiments shewed that the adhesion of wheels of malleable iron upon rails of the same ma¬ terial, is equal to one-twentieth of the weight upon them ; so that the adhesion of the wheels is dependent upon, and proportional to, the weight of the engine they support: this fact does away with the utility of the toothed rail and wheel, and other contrivances to overcome the difficulty of want of adhesion. In the year 1814, an engine was constructed by Mr. Stephenson, for the Killingworth Railway; and sub¬ sequently, others were made by him for the same line. In the year 1822, a proposal was made by Mr. James to construct a railway between Liverpool and Manchester; this proposal, from its novelty and bold- E 38 RISE AND PROGRESS ness, attracted considerable attention, and was followed up in 1824 by a pamphlet on the subject, published by Mr. Sanders, which warmly advocated the scheme. The plan was deemed so feasible, and the projected railway of such immense importance, that in the same year, a meeting was convened at Liverpool to deter¬ mine on the formation of a company of proprietors to establish a double railroad between it and Manchester, at which the then mayor of Liverpool presided; and so satisfied were capitalists of the practicability of the plan proposed, that it was agreed to form a company, having for its object the establishment of the proposed railroad. It is a singular fact, that in the prospectus issued by the directors of the company, in which are detailed the advantages that would result from the proposed undertaking, when carried out, the transit of goods was considered of most importance, and the con¬ veyance of passengers was deemed of very slight con- consideration. In the construction of a great line of road or canal, the intersection of a number of estates is involved, and some of the property of the landed proprietors must necessarily be procured. The principle on which land or any other property is held by any indi¬ vidual in a society is, that it is to the interest of the society that such private possession should exist; and if at any time it can be shown that the public welfare or safety requires the confiscation of certain property, or the change of its proprietors, the legislators repre¬ senting the public have power to enact a law on the OF RAILWAYS. 39 subject, to authorise the change, resistance to which enactment would be treason. In accordance with this principle, and for the purpose of gaining these es¬ sential privileges, it was necessary to apply for an act of parliament to enforce the landholders on the line of country intended for the railroad, to give up the land at a reasonable valuation, so as to enable the directors to carry out the objects of the company. Such a bill of course met with considerable opposition in both houses of parliament, and much delay was incurred in consequence. The bill having been rejected by a ma¬ jority of the commons, had again to be brought in, and it was not till 1826 that it was agreed to by parliament; the cost of the parliamentary proceedings to the com¬ pany and its opponents is computed at 70,000/. After the sanction of parliament was procured, the work of preparing a line of railway was set about with the utmost alacrity, and in the spring of the year 1829 things were so much advanced, as to require a decision from the directors on the question whether the trains should be drawn along by locomotive engines, or by means of stationary engines fixed at certain stages on the line; these latter would act hy winding up a chain with great rapidity, connected with which chain would be the train of carriages. To determine which would be the most advantageous mode for the company to adopt, the directors employed some experienced en¬ gineers to visit the different railways, examine into the relative merits of the two systems, and report to them on the subject. The examination of these gentlemen decided the directors in favour of the locomotive en- 40 RISE AND PROGRESS gines, they being least expensive ancl in every respect more suitable and convenient. The relative expenses of the two systems will be seen by the following table. * Capital. Annual Expense Expense of tak¬ ing a Ton of Goods one mile. Locomotive Engines £ s. d 58.000 0 0 £ s. d. 25.517 8 2 0-164of a penny Stationary Engines .. 121.496 7 0 42.031 16 5 0-269 Locomotive System-less 63.496 7 0 16.514 8 3 0.105 It being settled that locomotive engines were to be employed, the next point to be aimed at was the pro- curance and adoption of the most superior kind of them. As there were different sorts of engines, each of which had its advocates, a trial of the competitors was de¬ termined on, and to bring this object about, a premium of 500/. was offered to the best locomotive engine, subject to these conditions ; viz., to consume its own smoke ;—to be capable of drawing at least three times its own weight at a rate of not less than ten miles in an hour;—the pressure on the boiler not to exceed 501bs. on the square inch;—to have two safety valves, one of which should be in a case locked upthe engine and boiler to be supported on springs, and to rest on six wheels, if the weight should exceed four tons and a half;—the height to the top of the chimney to he not more than fifteen feet;—the whole weight not to ex¬ ceed six tons;—the boiler to be proved to bear three times its working pressure ;—the cost of the engine to be not more than 550/. The trial took place in the following October, when OF RAILWAYS. 41 Mr. Nicholas Wood, of Kellingworth, Mr. Rastrick, of Stourbridge, and Mr. Kennedy, of Manchester, were appointed judges. The following engines were entered for competition. The Rocket , steam locomotive, by Mr. Robert Stephenson. The Novelty , ditto ditto Messrs. Braithwaite and Erricson. The Sans Pareil, ditto ditto Mr. Timothy Hackworth. The Perseverance, ditto ditto Mr. Burstall, of Edin¬ burgh. The Cyclopede , horse locomotive Mr. Brandreth, of Liver¬ pool. For a drawing and descriptive account of these en¬ gines, see the Engineers’ and Mechanics’ Encyclopae¬ dia. Article Railway. The trial took place on theRainhill level, a distance of one mile and a half, which the engines had to tra¬ verse backwards and forwards ten times. The Rocket was declared the winner, it being the only engine that performed the required journey, the others having met with accidents which prevented them from completing the experiment. The rate of performance with the weight, &c., of the Rocket was as follows : The first thirty miles was executed in two hours, fourteen minutes, and eight seconds. The second thirty miles was executed in two hours, six minutes, and forty-nine seconds. Its greatest speed was rather above twenty-nine miles per hour, and its least about eleven and a half miles per hour;—average about fourteen miles per hour. The evaporation was one hundred and fourteen e 2 42 RISE AND PROGRESS gallons per hour, and the consumption of coke two hundred and seventeen pounds per hour. Tons. Cwt. Qrs. lbs. The Rocket weighed. 4 5 0 0 The tender with water and coke. 3 4 0 2 Two loaded carriages attached. 9 10 3 26 Total weight in motion. 17 0 0 0 From the following diagram and description, the reader may with a little study obtain a notion of the me¬ chanism and working of the locomotive steam engine. The plate represents the longitudinal section of an engine, and is designed to give a general notion of the manner in which it is impelled, without entering into anything like the descriptive minutise of the machinery. In the first place then, f is a square furnace surround¬ ed on all sides except d the door, and g the grate, with OF RAILWAYS. 43 b , b, b, b, the boiler'; from the furnace f, through the boiler, run a number of pipes or flues p, p, p, p, corn- communicating with the chimney c. At the top of the boiler is a large bent tube t, t, t , which opens into the boiler at t, where the tube is so elevated that the motion of the engine cannot splash the water up into it. At t, is a regulating valve or cock, which by the handle h , can open a communication from the top of the boiler down the tube, or stop it at the will of the engineer, who stands on the platform p, just by the handle. At T, the tube terminates in the valve box v, out of which are two openings 1, 2, into the cylinder a, a, on the top of these run a sliding valve s, which is so constituted as to be able to cover only one of the entrances to the cylinder at a time; it is slided backwards and forwards by the machinery when in action, and thus covers and uncovers the entrances 1 and 2 alternately. B is the piston which moves steam tight to the left and right in the cylinder; from it runs the piston rod R, out through an aperture in the side of the cylinder, in which aperture it plies back¬ wards and forwards steam tight; but to enable it to turn the crank e, it is necessary that it should bend upwards and downwards; to effect this, a joint is made at j. The fire being lit, and the boiler filled with water, nearly up to the large tube t , the engineer from time to time throws in coke through the door d, and the combustion increasing, an intense heat is kindled, and acting on the sides of the furnace and passing by the small flue pipes through the boiler 6, is communicated to the water through the sides of the furnace and pipes. The water 44 RISE AND PROGRESS heated from so many surfaces, becomes powerfully ex- cited, boils and changes into volumes of steam, which soon fills the upper portion of the boiler, where, being limited in space, it becomes compressed, and thus gains an immense expansive force, and acts on all sides with a permanent giant effort at the disruption of its prison; at this crisis the engineer turns the handle h, and the steam instantly explodes down the tube t, t, t } in the direction of the darts, and rushing through the valve box, passes the aperture 1, enters the right side of the cylinder a, and pressing on all sides of it, forces the piston to the left, by which action the piston rod is drawn in, and the wheel w turned by the agency of the crank e, and the engine moves on the rails; but the motion of the piston from right to left, by the agency of machinery, is made to move the slide in the valve box, from left to right, and thus the aperture 1 is closed, the aperture 2 is opened, and the pressure of the steam transferred from the right side of the pis¬ ton to the left, when it is propelled back to the right, and this motion sending back the sliding valve to the left, the steam again rushes in through the aperture 1 : thus the expansive force of the steam alternately pres¬ ses on each side of the piston, and thus the motion of the engine is continued. When the piston is forced from one side to the other, the part of the cylinder that it has left is of course filled with steam, this must be let out to permit the piston to come back again, and having performed its function is it emitted into the chimney by a valve worked by the machinery, and passes off with the smoke. OF RAILWAYS 45 The following figure is a transverse section of a locomotive engine, shewing the pipes or flues which pass through the boiler b. R R are the rails on which the wheels move, which are fixed to the sleepers s; e e, the springs on which the carriage is supported. TRANSVERSE SECTION, 46 RISE AND PROGRESS The trial of the locomotive engines was made on the 6th of October, 1829, and the premium was awar¬ ded to Mr. Stephenson’s engine, the Rocket. On September the 15th 1830, the public opening of the railway took place, four years and a quarter from its commencement, which occasion was saddened by the lamentable accident that terminated the life of Mr. Huskisson. The demonstration of the practical utility of railways, that took place on the Liverpool and Manchester line, drew general attention to the importance of such means of communication. The establishment of a line to communicate Birming¬ ham withapointin Cheshire, opposite to Liverpool, had been proposed in 1824, and a petition was presented to parliament on the subject, but owing to the oppo¬ sition of landowners and canal proprietors to the bill, it was lost on standing orders in the commons. In 1825, aline between London and Birmingham was projected, but the scheme being immature, was aban¬ doned for a time. In 1826 another application on the subject of the formation of a Liverpool and Birming¬ ham railway was thrown out of parliament, and a third in 1830 met with like success. The progress of the Liverpool and Manchester line, however, revived the spirits of the projectors, and the public being fully awakened to the importance of the subject, by the expe¬ riments made before the regular opening of the railway, schemes were advanced for the formation of a line between London and Birmingham, and another to join the line with the Manchester and Liverpool railroad. OF RAILWAYS. 47 Between London and Birmingham two different routes were proposed in 1830, one by Oxford and Banbury, by Sir John Rennie, another line passing close by Coventry, by Mr. Giles. A company was formed to carry out the former proposal, and another to realise the latter; each company had its separate suite of directors, and these foreseeing the danger and loss that must inevitably have resulted from the com¬ petitive struggle between two such formidable public bodies wisely entered into arrangements for a union of the two companies, which was effected, on September the 11th 1830. In consequence of the opinion of Mr. George Stephenson being decidedly in favour of the line by Coventry, it was concluded that that should be the route of the London and Birmingham railway. Ere the close of this year, preliminary arrangements were instituted, and surveys of the country through which the road should pass, were made with a view of enabling the directors to decide accurately on the route. Plans were advanced for fixing the London terminus near Hyde Park, bringing the line from thence nearly parallel with the Edgeware Road, and that at the Birmingham end the line should enter at the south side of the town by a tunnel. The Birmingham station was to be in Broad Street, close to which, it was pro¬ posed at this time to have the station of the Grand Junction. In 1831 several surveys of routes were made, in order to gain experience as to the one most eligible, and after due consideration, the present line from Camden Town to Birmingham was agreed on, and estimates of the expenses of the works proceeded. 48 RISE AND PROGRESS The business being thus far advanced, application was made to parliament to bring in a bill to sanction the effectment of this grand public object. The bill was read in the commons for the first time, on the 20th of February 1832, and a second time on the 28tli of the same month, when it was consigned to a committee, previously to the final determination relative to it. The following is the parliamentary estimate of the cal¬ culated cost of the intended railroad. The Estimate laid before Parliament was as follows :— Excavations and embankments .. .. £179,000 Tunnelling . 250,286 Masonry. 350,574 Rails, chairs, keys, and pins. 212,940 Blocks and sleepers . 102,960 Ballasting and laying rails. 102,960 Fencing. 76,032 Band . 250,000 Water stations and pumps . 3,600 Offices, &c. 16,000 Locomotive engines, waggons and coaches 61,000 Contingencies. 294,648 £2,500,000 The various evidences for and against the bill being duly considered in committee, it was read a third time on the 19th of June, 1232, when it received the sanc¬ tion of the commons. In the lords, the London and Birmingham Railway Bill was sent into committee after having been twice read, first on the 19th of June, and the second time on the 22nd of the same month. Similar evidences OF RAILWAYS 49 to what had been laid before the commons and deemed by them satisfactory, had a different effect in the committee of lords, and after all the expense of carry¬ ing on the parliamentary proceeding, the bill was lost, the following motion of Lord Brownlowbeing agreed to. “That the case for the promoting of the bill having been concluded, it does not appear to the committee that they have made out such a case as would warrant the forcing of the proposed railway through the land and property of so great a proportion of dissentient landowners and proprietors.” When we consider that evidence had been laid be¬ fore the committee sufficient to demonstrate to any reasonable persons, the overwhelming national impor¬ tance of the realization of the proposed project, it will be palpable that the opposition arose from mere sel¬ fishness, and in ignorance, or contempt and wilful vio¬ lation, of the principle on which the tenure of land is based. The stoppage of this.great national undertaking was extremely aggravating and vexatious to the public, and the placidity and sangfroid of the mode in which it was done, was not at all calculated to decrease the aggravation; on the contrary, the rejection was so much more galling on that account. The directors were men of the world, and so far from being deterred from further efforts by their loss, merely regarded the circumstances of it as so much valuable experience, by which they would be enabled to ensure future success. The bill was again brought before parliament, received the sanction of the committee of the commons on March the 15th 1833, of the lords F 50 RISE AND PROGRESS on April the 22nd 1833, and the royal assent on the 6th of the May following. What cause had altered the disposition of the aristocratic portion of the legis¬ lature, with respect to the bill, is a question that has led to a good deal of speculation among the curious, some have supposed that the change resulted from some alteration in the line, by which certain estates were avoided; this theory is however erroneous, no such alteration having taken place; other more know¬ ing people attempt an explanation of the moral phe¬ nomenon, by the fact, that the first item of outlay in the report of the directors is, “Payments for obtaining the act of incorporation 72,868/. 18s. 10c/.”!!! Mr. Robert Stephenson being appointed the head engineer to the now incorporated body, active proceed¬ ings were immediately commenced, the conveyancing of the required land was entered into, and the con¬ tracts for most of the work were satisfactorily made. The operations soon commenced, a multitude of hu¬ man beings were put into action, and guided by the most scientific principles, their energies became con¬ centrated, and by their persevering and systematic efforts vast mounds were thrown up across valleys, hills were excavated in cuttings or by tunnels, huge bridges and viaducts sprang rapidly into existence, and the greater part of the line began to wear some thing of the aspect of a railway. The directors deeming it of importance that the line should be extended from Camden Town to Euston Grove, were obliged again to make application to par¬ liament, and on the 3rd of July an act authorising OF RAILWAYS 51 them to extend the line in the manner they desired., received the royal assent. Though the directors met repeatedly with very great difficulties, these were all, by being steadily encoun¬ tered, gradually removed, and the works for several years showed a degree of advancement, which however slow it might have appeared at the time, seems, when now reflected on, a process of the most magical ce¬ lerity. The first portion of the line that was completed was that between London and Tring, a distance of 3\i miles; this was opened on the 1st of January 1838. On the 9th of the following April the line from the London end was opened as far as Denbigh Hall, and from the Birmingham end as far as Rugby; the in¬ termediate space between Denbigh Hall and Rugby was traversed by omnibusses and coaches in the em¬ ploy of the company, which carried the passengers and luggage between these stations. From the following report which was read at the half-yearly general meeting of the proprietors, that took place at the Euston Square station, on Tuesday, August the 25th 1838, a knowledge of the then present state of the company’s affairs may be gleaned, together with the actual cost of the railway, the greatness of which, compared with the original estimate, furnishes a lesson to engineers and contractors. REPORT. “The directors, in conformity with the intention an¬ nounced in their last report, commenced booking pas- 52 RISE AND PROGRESS sengers for the whole distance between London and Birmingham on the opening of the railway from Tring to Denbigh, and from Rugby to Birmingham. They have found it impossible, however, to avoid altogether the occasions for annoyance and disapointment which resulted from the difficulty of providing a sufficient number of coaches, for a temporary purpose, adequate to the wants of the public; hut the receipts have, on the whole, fully equalled their anticipations. “ The passengers conveyed in the six months were 158,838, and the directors have the satisfaction to add, without the occurrence of an accident to any indivi¬ dual of that number. “ From the 1st January to the 8th April, when the railway was only open between London and Tring, the number was 36,024, and the daily average equal to 244 for the whole 32 miles— The receipts were .£7,271 13 2 The expenses . 8,048 19 4 “ From 9th April, the date of the opening to Den¬ bigh Hall and Rugby, to the 30th June, the number w r as 122,814, and the daily average for the whole 77 miles, 715. The receipts, deducting the expenses of intermediate coaching .£41,322 11 9 The expenses. 16,097 18 8 “The proportion of expense, under the head of lo¬ comotive power, for the last mentioned period, is 8,855/. 195. 10 d.\ it comprises not only the cost of working the engines, and repairs of every description, hut a sum which, according to the report of the com- OF RAILWAYS 53 pany’s engineer, is more than equal to the deprecia¬ tion on the prime cost of the engine stock. “The charges under the head of the police and coaching departments, include also an allowance for depreciation in the carnage stock, and have been fur¬ ther increased by the provision in the current half year of an efficient force against the general opening; the directors considering that an additional outlay for the security of passengers, and the due management of the large traffic to be then expected, was more important than an immediate return of profit. “Arrangements are in progress with the directors of the Grand Junction Railway Company for the transfer of passengers and goods between the two lines at Bir¬ mingham, with a view to the more perfect accommoda¬ tion of the public. “ The proprietors have already been informed, that a company, formed exclusively from the shareholders of the London and Birmingham Railway, is about to construct an hotel and dormitory on the vacant ground in front of the Euston station. A special meeting of Proprietors of the London and Birmingham Company having passed resolutions authorising the lease of the ground for the proposed object, and subject to the reg¬ ulations submitted to the meeting, the buildings have been let by contract, and are about to be commenced. The directors for the time being of this company will, in pursuance of the conditions of the lease and deed of settlement, have a permanent control over an under¬ taking, the main object of which is to promote the success of the railway, by providing for the comfort of families and individuals who travel on it. f 2 54 RISE AND PROGRESS “ The directors have to congratulate the proprietors on the progress which has been made, since their last meeting, in the works of various railways, either di¬ rectly connected with the London and Birmingham line, or extending the communication from it by the Midland Counties’, North Midland, and Birmingham and Derby Railways into Yorkshire, and the Eastern Counties. The railway from Aylesbury to Tring will be completed in the present year; and another from Northampton to Blisworth having been projected, which the promoters were desirous of placing in the hands of the Company’s Engineer, the directors rea¬ dily assented to the arrangements. “ By the accounts now to be laid before the pro¬ prietors, it will appear in the general statement of the receipts and disbursements of the company, to the 30th of June— That the receipts have been .. £4,663,197 7 8 The disbursements. 4,592,698 2 4 And that the balance of cash was £70,499 5 4 On the income account to the same period (the re¬ ceipts and disbursements of which are included in the foregoing general statement.) The receipts have been .. •• £83,233 15 2 The disbursements (including the sum of 16,755/. paid for inter¬ mediate coaching) . 53,379 15 11 The balance in favour of the company £29,853 19 3 “ The directors, in their last report, adverted to the probability that additional capital would be required for business on a far more extended scale, in the goods OF RAILWAYS. 55 department, than was originally contemplated, and the inquiries which they have made in the last six months have sufficiently demonstrated to them the necessity of a large and immediate outlay, not only as respects the proposed arrangements, for this description of traffic, but for some additional accommodation in the passenger department. The central station for engines and goods at Wolverton, the goods’ stations at Bir¬ mingham and London, and on the line, ought not be delayed; the additional stock of engines are already contracted for, and an increased number of waggons and trucks are also urgently required; and further sums will be wanted to complete the works of the road, and to wind up the accounts of the contractors. The directors feel as they have always felt it to be a part of their duty, not to restrict the proper outlay of capi¬ tal, when satisfied that it would secure thee onvenience of the public, the stability of the works, and the effici- cient management of the traffic; and they are per¬ suaded that a perseverance in this course to the com¬ pletion of the undertaking will be found most econo¬ mical in the end, and best calculated to secure the permanency of that successful result which is now happily placed beyond the reach of doubt. The diffi¬ culties at Wolverton, Blisworth, and Kilsby, have been successfully overcome, a single line of rails is laid, over which a train has already passed with seve¬ ral of the Proprietors, from end to end, and the engi¬ neer in chief has reported that the opening may be expected about the middle of September, and that he is only prevented fixing the day by the completion of 56 RISE AND PROGRESS the works being in some degree dependent on the state of the weather. General Account of the Recepts and Disbursements to the 30 th June, 1838. June 30, 1838 Calls .. . Loans— On mortgage of tolls and debenture bonds .. .. In account with sundries.. RECEIPTS. £ fl. d. 2,119,000 0 66,500 2 Miscellaneous— Land and materials resold 1,671 5 11 Contract fines. 2,320 0 0 Forfeited shares 315 15 11 Interest— On Exchequer bills & bank¬ ers’ balances 23,852 17 10 On calls in arrears .. 3,298 0 10 £ s. d. 2,363,005 10 0 2,185,500 2 0 4,307 1 10 27,150 18 8 Passenger traffic, cattle, and parcels . 4 ; 579,963 12 6 83,233 15 2 4,663,197 7 8 DISBURSEMENTS. June 30, 1838. £ 6 . d. Payments for obtaining Act of incorporation . 72,868 18 10 Land and compensation.. 622,507 3 10 Conveyancing . 10,755 12 9 Works of road and stations .. 3 ,465,065 18 8 Engines and tenders 46,091 8 10 Carriages, waggons, trucks, &c. 109,710 6 0 Stores,viz: Coke department ) 3000/< - 5,000 0 0 - Coaching dittto 2000/.; Engineering. 80,887 3 2 Law charges. 7,804 7 7 Advertising and printing 4,457 10 1 4,425,148 9 9 Carried over OF RAILWAYS, 67 d. £ s. d. £ s Brought forward 4,425,148 9 9 Direction . 11,091 2 6 Office charges, salaries to secre¬ taries, &c. .. .. .. .. 23,050 16 8 Sundries, including travelling charges . 12,806 17 8 Stamps and charges on mort¬ gages and debenture bonds 9,770 4 2 Interest on loans. 71,690 1 0 - 4,553,557 11 9 Locomotive power, including repairs of engines and tenders 15,533 10 3 Coach and carrying disburse¬ ments, including repairs .. 23,607 0 4 - 39,140 10 7 Balance in account with cash . 70,499 5 4 4,663,197 7 8 CAPITAL ACCOUNT.- Dr. June 30, 1838. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Proprietors for calls, 90Z. per share on 100Z. shares 2,250,000 0 0 51. „ 2 51. „ 125,000 0 0 2,375,000 0 0 Less calls in arrear .. 11,944 10 0 - 2,363,005, 10 0 To debentures Mortgage of tolls .. .. 1,000,000 0 0 Bonds on security of tolls and calls .. .. 1,119,000 0 0 - 2,119,000 0 0 To balance. 17,994 10 0 4,500,000 0 0 June 30, 1838. By shares, 25,000 100Z. each 25,000 251. „ By mortgage of tolls Cr. £ s. &. £ s. d. 2,500,000 0 0 625,000 0 0 - 3,125,000 0 0 1,375,000 0 0 4,500,000 0 0 58 RISE AND PROGRESS STOCK ACCOUNT Dr. June 30, 1838. £ s. d. To land and compensation .. 622,507 3 10 Works . 3,465,065 18 8 Engines and tenders.. 46,091 8 10 Carriages, waggons, & trucks 109,710 6 0 Stores, stock of coals and coke 3,000 0 0 Ditto ditto, coaching .. Expenses as detailed in ge¬ 2,000 0 0 neral account . 233,492 13 5 4,481,867 4,307 10 9 Less miscellaneous recepts 1 10 Interest on loans 71,690 1 0 Less received on cash ba¬ lances, and calls in arrear 27,150 18 8 To balance in account with cash £ s. d. 4,477,560 8 11 44,539 2 4 26,406 0 9 4,548,505 12 0 June 30,1838. By calls. Loans on debentures .. Ditto in account current Cr. £. s. d. 2,363,005 10 0 2,119,000 0 0 66,500 2 0 4,548,505 12 0 RESERVED FUND (FOR DEPRECIATION OF STOCK). Dr. June 30, 1838. To balance in account with cash June 30, 1838. By income account for depre¬ ciation of locomotive en¬ gine stock . Ditto carriage stock .. £ s. d. 5,500 0 0 Cr. £ s. d. £ s. d. 3,500 0 0 2,000 0 0 - 5,500 0 0 OF RAILWAYS 59 INCOME ACCOUNT. Dr. June 30, 1838. To Sundries in ac-> locomotive count with .. .. 5 power. viz. fuel, watering, oil, tallow, waste, repairs, salaries, & wages. £ s. d. (1) To 31 st Dec. 1837 5,999 10 6 (2) To 8th April, 1838 3,177 19 11 (3) To 30th June, 1838 6,355 19 10 COACHING. viz. salaries, wages of police, porters, &c. re¬ pairs, gas, oil, and tallow, stationery, sundries, and duty. £ S. d. 5,978 7 5 3,370 19 5 6,241 18 10 TOTAL. £ s. d. 11,977 17 11 6,548 19 4 12,597 18 8 15,533 10 3 15,591 5 8 31,124 15 11 To reserved fund for depreciation of stock 3,500 0 0 2,000 0 0 5,500 0 0 19,033 10 3 17,591 5 8 36,624 15 11 To balance in account with cash .29,S53 19 3 66,478 15 2 Cr. June 30th, 1838. By passenger traffic, par¬ cels, cattle, &c. (1) To 31st December.. (2) To 8th April.. London to Tring. £ S. d. 517,884 10 3 i 7,271 13 2 (3) To 30th June London to Denbigh Hal] and Birmingham to Rugby. 58,077 11 9 Deduct for intermediate road coaching 16,755 0 0 £ s. d. 25,156 3 5 41,322 11 9 66,478 15 2 60 RISE AND PROGRESS CASH BALANCE. Dr. June 30, 1838 £ s. d. To General Account for Balance . 70,499 5 4 Cr. June 30, 1838. £ s. d. By Stock Account . ^ . 26,406 0 9 By Reserved Fund Account . 5,500 0 0 By Income Account. 29,853 19 3 By Intermediate Coaching, in account with Home and Chaplin. 8,739 5 4 £70,499 5 4 R. CREED, 1 & . C. R. MOORSOM, 5 Secretanes - “ Office, Euston Station, 21st August, 1838.” Statement of Weekly Receipts for Passengers and Parcels , between the Sth of April and the 1R7* of August, inclusive. £ s. d. April 14 3,500 3 8 21 4,026 12 10 28 4,216 8 5 May 5 4,487 17 7 12 4,605 9 1 19 4,950 8 8 26 4,848 10 5 June 2 5,342 9 5 9 5,637 10 4 16 5,884 1 5 23 6,472 16 4 30 7,543 0 4 July 7.7,115 5 2 14.6,813 17 5 21.6,814 14 6 28 7,137 16 2 August 4 .. .. •• 7,109 4 31 11 7,032 2 8 £103,538 9 4 OF RAILWAYS. 61 The space between Denbigh Hall and Rugby was soon completed, and the whole line of the London and Birmingham railway was thrown open for public use on the 17th of September 1838. Thus has sprung into existence in a few years, a piece of human workmanship of the most stupendous kind; which, when considered with respect to its scien¬ tific character, magnitude, utility, its harmony of ar¬ rangement, and mechanical contrivance, eclipses all for¬ mer works of art. Compared to it, how shabby a struc¬ ture would be the celebrated Roman wall, or even the more extensive one of the Chinese; as for the Egyptian pyramids, they, so far from being fit to be mentioned in comparison with the railway, are merely uncouth monuments of the ignorance and superstition of their founders; woeful testimonials of the debasement to priestcraft of the wretched slaves who erected them, and are merely evidences of much physical force, having but little aid from science or taste. Steam locomotion on Railways, has now perhaps nearly attained its highest pitch of perfection; is this the furthest step of progression P is this degree a boundary beyond which the intellect of man need not attempt to urge him P No ! improvement is infinite, progression without bounds; when steam power has at¬ tained its maximum, the event can merely be a motive 4 / to the philosophers, drawing their attention to the search after some superior power: already such efforts are being made, the thoughts of men of science have been modified by the circumstances into relationship to this subject, and feelings of ardent desire for the at- G 62 RISE AND PROGRESS tainment of so great an object excited in them. Electro-magnetism, Pneumatics and Mechanics, are daily and hourly ransacked, and every feasible notion that is suggested to the brain of the ardent enquirer, is eagerly experimented on. In ancient times, if a number of philosophers had ex¬ hibited machines travelling at the rate of thirty miles an hour, they would have been worshipped as gods or pro¬ phets ; in later ages they would have been burnt as wizards; in modern days, such locomotion is pointed at as an instance of the high ingenuity of man, and ad¬ vanced as an argument to show what endless improve¬ ment may be expected, when proper arrangements shall be instituted for the production of superior knowledge and feeling among the whole people. The present improvements, say the moral philosophers, have taken place while science has been confined to the few, and the many have never had that cultivation which is es¬ sential to enable them to become contributors to the general stock of knowledge ; but when all shall be made scientific, each enabled to yield some useful suggestion, then will a rapidly accelerating progression commence, the contemplation of which, at present, can only tend to dazzle us. Man’s existence has been a series of improvements; but these are now becoming of a more and more stupendous nature, and promise ere long, to completely alter his condition and the character of his pursuits; the time seems coming, when he will no longer be the ignorant plodding labourer, but the in¬ tellectual director of natural powers, reduced to a state of subserviency to his will. All natural powers may OF RAILWAYS. 63 be directed to purposes conducive to human interests, all that is requisite is the knowledge of the means of reducing them to subserviency. Man has hitherto depended too much on his physical powers; the steam engine, however, has shown to a demonstration that his greatest power is knowledge, for by it he may gain inanimate servants, powerful, tractable and utiring; and qualified to do that for which animal strength is totally incapacitated. ENTRANCE TO THE EUSTON SQUARE STATION. 65 THE JOURNEY. The Grand Facade, at Euston Grove, constitutes the London terminus of this great national work; its centre consists of a stupendous Grecian Doric portico, perhaps the largest in the world, which faces an open¬ ing on the north side of Euston Square, and may he viewed from the City Road, from whence it has some¬ what the appearance of the entrance gates to a Grecian city or temple. At the sides of the portico are lodges, which are used as offices for parcels, and beyond these are the side gates and terminal lodges. This splendid erection cost the company 35,000/.; it was designed by Mr. Philip Hardwick, whose cha¬ racter as an architect had previously been stamped with some degree of eminence, as the designer of the Gold¬ smiths’ Hall, the City Clnb House, and other build¬ ings. The dimensions of the facade are—the extreme height of the portico seventy-four feet; the extreme width sixty-eight feet; the height of columns forty-two feet; the diameter of columns eight feet six inches; cen¬ tre space between the columns twenty-eight feet; height of each lodge thirty-one feet; width of each lodge twenty-eight feet; extreme width of frontage 313 feet six inches. G 2 66 LONDON TERMINUS, The building is composed of Yorkshire free-stone, fram the Bramley Fall quarries, and in its erection upwards of 75,000 cubic feet were consumed; some of the blocks of stone weighed above thirteen tons. The gate, at the left side of a person, facing the building, used formerly to be the entrance through which the passengers passed; since the completion of the portico, however, this gate has been closed against the public, and the omnibusses and carriages enter un¬ der the centre of the portico, and the foot passengers at their right side on the causeway, between the pillar and wall. Policemen, in the dark green uniform of the com¬ pany, are stationed about the entrances, and are always ready to give directions to any person needing them. On passing under the portico, a range of buildings is ob¬ servable to the right, the upper part of which is used as offices for the secretary, and other functionaries, located at the London end of the line. Moving onwards, we enter, beneath a colonnade, and presently arrive at the hooking offices, where a short time previously to the starting of a train, a number of persons will he found waiting to pay their fares. Behind a large counter are stationed a number of clerks, displaying the usual hustling, but still we may say a rather more method¬ ical appearance, than their professional brethren at the coach offices; this latter semblance, doubtless, results from the system that is adopted; a rail in the office is so constituted as to form with the counter a narrow pass, through which only one individual can pass at a time, and into this the travellers go, and are thus brought, ad seriatim , before the booking clerk. Into EUSTON SQUARE STATION. LONDON TERMINUS. 67 this pass we enter, and wait patiently listening to the ut¬ terance of names of stations to which persons are going, such as Coventry, Tring, Birmingham, &c., till those before us are hooked to their respective stations; when our turn comes, we mention the place we are going to, and the station nearest it is named, together with the fare to that station; this sum we pay, and receive a ticket which is forthwith stamped for us, on which the number of the seat we are to occupy, and all other necessary directions are printed. Ticket in hand, we proceed forwards through an entrance hall, and emerge beneath the spacious shedding, round which the traveller can scarcely cast a wondering gaze, w|ien he is assailed by a policeman, who in a hurried tot$e cries “ number of your ticket, sir;” having obtained^glattce of the ticket, the official immediately points out 'i$ owner’s seat in the train and then hastens away to perff)ftm simi¬ lar duty to others. On coming out from the^feadfe^ hall, beneath the shedding, the terminus of is seen; at each side is a parade, elevated of the floor of carriages standing on the rail&V T.BB rails close to the parade on which we have eiitjsxedy are called the down side, because they are usecbby the trains going down to the country; those close by the other parade constitute the road used by trains coming up to town, and hence are called the up side. When a train arrives, it stops close to the parade at the up side, and the passengers step out upon it, and may, if they are disposed to ride to any part of the town, enter the omnibusses, cabs, or cars, that are waiting for them, or if they choose to walk, they can 68 LONDON TERMINUS. go out through the gate; the exit of travellers newly arrived is through the gate, between the lodges at the right side, when looking at the front of the fayade. In order to give our readers a more correct under¬ standing of these arrangements, we subjoin the an¬ nexed ground plan. The entrance (a) leads into an oblong court-yard, inclosed by walls, and about 470 feet in extent, from north to south, by 100 in width, until it begins to contract with a curved slope on each side, so that at the north end the breadth is reduced to 38 feet. On the east side is a range of building, with a light co¬ lonnade (6), for the accommodation of passengers. Those of the first class enter at c , and deliver their tickets in the office ( d ), and wait for the trains in e e. The others enter at f, deliver their tickets in g , and wait in h, or on the terrace i i. K is the entrance for carriages and heavy goods intended to be conveyed by the trains, which start from town on the rails l /, and m m . The offices (n n) are for booking passengers, &c. The station covers an area of seven acres. Close to the down side is the train by which we are to be carried on our journey with so wondrous a speed; and scarcely have we had time to walk up and down the pavement, and survey the light and ele¬ gant structure of the metallic shedding, the buffing apparatus, and, among other objects, the rope called the messenger, which hangs on the hook cr drawbar of the first carriage, and by which the train is to be attached to the endless rope to be drawn up the in¬ clined plane to Camden Town, when the signal bell GROUND PLAN OF THE LONDON TERMINUS. 70 booth’s connecting rings, and the policemen explain its meaning by a shout “Take your places ladies and gentlemen;” when all those who have loitered on the promenade, hurry to the carriages assigned them, and having found their seats, another signal is soon given, and the phrase “ All right!” is heard; when immediately the train, which has been retained standing on a slight inclination by a check, is moved gently onwards down the descent, which is called by the engineers the “ter¬ minal plane;” this descent is of use in starting the train, or in checking it when coming in. On the right side, immediately beyond the shed, we pass an extensive building, where carriages are manu¬ factured ; and shortly afterwards the train is stopped beneath the first bridge, to he attached to the endless rope. The jolting resulting from the stoppage is much diminished by means of the huffing apparatus invented hy Mr. Booth, of Liverpool, which will be best understood from a slight study of the following figures and description of the contrivance for connect¬ ing the carriages. Fig. 10 is a connecting apparatus attached to the hook or draw-bar of each carriage; it consists of a double working screw s, s, which works within two long links or shackles, /, Z, the sockets of which are spirally threaded to receive the screws s,s. At the middle of the double screw, an arm, or lever, m, Fig. 11 , is attached by a pin and cotter a , and at the end of a lever is a weight w, to keep it in a vertical position, and to pre¬ vent the unscrewing of the apparatus when it is in action. APPARATUS. 71 The links l, l, being placed on the hooks c, c, the carriages are brought close together, so that the buf¬ fers b, b, touch, when by turning the arm or lever m, they are screwed tighter by the apparatus, and an equal elastic pressure is obtained by the rods d, d, acting upon the spring at their ends e } e. Between the Euston Station and Camden Town are four roads, so that four trains might move side by side; the first bridge has two large central arches, each of which spans two of the roads; besides these large cen¬ tral arches, there are twenty-seven smaller side ones; this erection was designed by Mr. Stephenson. Here is situated a powerful wheel, fourteen feet in dia¬ meter, round which the endless rope is fixed; and when the rope is moved by the stationary engine at Camden Town, the wheel turns with it; the rope is 72 THE MESSENGER. two miles and a half in length, and cost 460Z.; it runs all the way on fixed pulleys, which at the curves are made to slope in a contrary direction to the curve, and have also an arm or shield to keep the rope from get¬ ting out. The first carriage in the train is here attached to the endless rope by the messenger; the means of con¬ nexion are illustrated by the following figure and ex¬ planation. The messenger . This name is given to the rope by which the carriages are attached to the endless rope, to be drawn to the place where they are joined by the locomotive engine. c, c . The end of the carriage. SIGNAL APPARATUS. 73 h , h. The hook or draw-bar, having the rope or messenger r, r, passed round it; the end e, is made gradually thinner, so as to he held in the hand by the guide in the first carriage; the other end is divided at g, and is lengthened out at its two extremities, till it gradually terminates in a strong string f,f; these ends are passed contrary ways round the main rope, so that there is no protuberance to throw it off the fixed pul- lies or rollers. When the train has arrived at the proper place, the end e is loosed, and the messenger r detaches itself from the hook h, and sets the carriage at liberty. As soon as the fixing of the messenger is complete, which occupies a very few instants, the policeman in attendance, in an apartment formed by the arch at the right side, gives the signal, and immediately the rope is turned by the stationary engine at Camden Town, distant one mile and a half, and the train is drawn onwards up an inclined plane, the greatest rise of which is one foot in sixty-six, and the smallest one in 132, at the rate of twenty miles an hour. A young policeman, who lost a limb in the service of the com¬ pany, lias the management of the signal, as a sort of easy employment for him; he is always in wait¬ ing at the time when the trains start; and by the agency of the signal apparatus, communicates, in 2i seconds, the intelligence that the train is ready to be drawn up, to the engineer at Camden Town, who forthwith sets his engine to turn the rope. Fig. 12 shews the nature of the signal apparatus used for the purpose of giving notice from the station H 74 SIGNAL APPARATUS. to the engine house, when the carriages are attached to the endless rope. The principle of its action is similar to that of a gasometer. a, is an air vessel suspended by the hook h over a pulley to a beam or other fixture; the top part g, g, is loaded with lead; b, b, is the water vessel filled to the height of the line w, w, so as to he a little above the bottom of the air vessel a; c is a tube having its open end above the water, and ending in the air chamber c, from which the pipe g communicates with the engine house, where it has fixed to its end a small organ pipe or whistle. Upon allowing the vessel a to sink into the water in b, b, which it does by the weight at g } g } a the air is forced through the tube c into the air chamber c, and from thence along the pipe g , and issues with sufficient force through the whistle at the extremity, to give an exceedingly audible sound; when the air vessel a is raised, the air rushes through a valve r in the vessel f 9 and through the tube d into it, and thus it is filled ready for action again; the valve v opens downwards, and therefore does not allow the air to escape when the vessel a is depressed. CAMDEN TOWN. 75 Electricity was thought of as a quicker signal agent, and some successful experiments were tried with it, but experience has proved that the whistle is more ad¬ vantageous and suitable in every respect. On passing the first bridge, the line passes through a cutting, the sides of which having been bricked up, the road has the appearance of being enclosed by high walls; these walls, however, are very little above the surrounding land. The line proceeds under the two-arched accommodation bridges, built for the communication of Mr. Rhode’s property, the Hamp¬ stead road bridge, and three other small ones. All the arches are of the most elegant character, and two of them partake of the nature of short tunnels, and have their roofs beautifully and strongly constructed with cross arches on iron bearings; the stone of which they are made is from Yorkshire. After passing the seventh bridge, over which Park-street crosses the line, the side walls of the cutting begin to lower, and shortly terminate, when a wide view of the surrounding neigh¬ bourhood bursts upon the traveller. To the left, at a little distance, may be seen the outer circle of the Regent’s Park, the Reservoir Hill, and Prim¬ rose Hill; while close to the line is the celebrated Chalk Farm, notorious as a place of meeting for prize-fighters, duellists, &c. To the right is Camden Town, a suburb of London, which has sprung into existence recently, the first erection on the site having been commenced on the manor falling into the pos¬ session of the Marquis of Camden in 1791. In the distance, Hampstead Chtjrch is conspicuous, situ¬ ated amidst scenery of the richest character; and to 76 HAMPSTEAD AND HIGHGATE. the right of it may be observed the elevated neigh* bourhood of Highgate. The parish of Hampstead is about four miles N. by W. from London, and contains 8,588 inhabi¬ tants. The neighbourhood is celebrated for its beauty and healthiness, and is a favourite resort for metropo¬ litan invalids. The purity of the atmosphere, near¬ ness to town, and delightfulness of the scenery, have made it a favourite residence of retired London trades¬ men, and even of many who are daily employed in town. With other advantages, there is a spa, and a pump room has been established; the water is chaly¬ beate ; on the south eastern extremity of the Heath, some saline springs have been discovered, the waters of which resemble those of Cheltenham and Harrow- gate in their properties; there are numerous lodging- houses, which in the summer time are much demanded. Highgate is a village about four miles north of London; it is situated on an eminence 400 feet above the summit of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and from its ele¬ vated position, commands a wide view of the neigh¬ bourhood of the metropolis. The steepness of the ascent of Highgate Hill, by the old road, was so great as to render the thoroughfare exceedingly difficult and even dangerous, and after several ineffectual improve¬ ments, by raising the road in some parts and lowering it in others, Mr. Robert Vazie, engineer, projected a plan for forming a tunnel through the hill, twenty- four feet wide, thirteen high, and 301 long. To effect this project, a company, called the Highgate Archway Company, was formed, and an act of incor¬ poration procured, authorising the raising of 40,000/. HIGHGATE TUNNEL. 77 by 50/. shares, with power to issue an additional 20,000/. worth of shares if requisite. The undertak¬ ing was prosecuted for a time with the greatest energy; but, unfortunately, after the tunnel had been opened for 130 yards, the whole fell in on the 13th of April, 1812, and all the preceding labour was thus made vain. This disaster did away with the desire for tunnelling, and a road was constructed through a deep cutting, by which much of the steepness of the hill was done away with. Hornsey-lane crosses this cutting on a noble bridge, which is called Highgate Arch. The tunnel accident produced considerable excitement, and was made the subject of a drama, en¬ titled, “ The Highgate Tunnel or the Secret Arch,” which was for a time a source of attraction at one of the London theatres. Some alms houses, re¬ sulting from a charity originally founded at the be¬ quest of Sir Richard Whittington, Knt., Alderman and thrice Lord Mayor of London, are to be seen near the Highgate Archway; and the remains of Coleridge, the poet, the latter portion of whose days were spent in the vicinity, are interred in the new church. The train crosses a very elegant iron bridge over the Regent’s Canal, and presently arrives between the two tall chimnies of the stationary engines; these chimneys are generally considered to be strikingly handsome; they are 132 feet 4 inches in height from the level of the rails, and 180 feet from the foundation. The engine house consists of vaults beneath the rail¬ way, and nothing of it is seen save the chimneys, and the steps encircled by a palisade, by which persons h 2 78 ENGINE HOUSE, may descend beneath. The arrangements below are on the best known principles, and every thing is kept in the greatest order and cleanliness. There are four engines, of sixty horse power each, made by Mauds- ley. Sons, and Field, of London ; two only are worked at a time, the others being ready in case of repairs. The endless rope is carried round a fly wheel, twenty- four feet in diameter, and from thence round small wheels fitted in a peculiar manner to a carriage that works in a short railway, and which is pulled by a very heavy weight that is attached to it, and suspended in a pit, so as to continually draw the carriage; this weight always hanging on and pulling the carriage, on which are affixed wheels, round which plays the endless rope, keeps the latter to a proper degree of tension, whatever expansions or contractions may take place in it by the agency of wet, heat, &c. The endless rope having performed its function in drawing the train up the inclined plane, the messenger rope is loosed, and the train moves on, partly from the force it has gained, and partly from there being a slight inclination downwards, until we arrive opposite the engine-house, out of which will probably be seen coining the engine which is to conduct the train to Birmingham. The engines that are used on theLon- don line, are of the most improved character, and, considering that the greatest possible power has to be confined in so small a compass, exhibit a highly ele¬ gant exterior appearance, and when commencing their motion, have what may be even called a graceful aspect. The following is a drawing of one of these engines. iCOMOTIVE ENGINE. 80 CAMDEN TOWN. The Depot at Camden Town comprises a space of about 35 acres, intersected in various directions by rails; here it is that the four roads from the Euston Station merge into the two which continue to Birming¬ ham. To the right of the line is the coke yard, where the Company have erected eighteen coke furnaces by the side of the Regent’s Canal, and at the same side are the offices and repositories belonging to the merchan¬ dize conveyance department, together with conve¬ niences for the loading and unloading of waggons of heavy goods, this being the town depot and station for such : the waggons employed in cany in g heavy goods to and from the depot, have ingress and egress from the Hampstead Road. The large building out of which the engine comes, comprises not only an en¬ gine house, but also an extensive manufactory, where the engines are made and repaired. The engine and its tender, laden with coke, water, &c., moves along the cross-rails, and thus gets on the same line with the train which it is to draw; it then backs gently till it comes in contact with the first car¬ riage, to which it is attached, when immediately, off we go. The noise made by the engine is at first some¬ what between a pant and a cough; but this becomes less distinct as our rapidity increases, for the motion of the piston, which occasions the coughing sound, when it becomes rapid, connects the sound into a con¬ tinuous burring noise, which, together with the clatter of the wheels, is found to be by no means so unplea¬ sant as the noise of the stage coach, if, perhaps, we except the sudden startling clatter that is produced by PRIMROSE HILL TUNNEL. 81 the reverberation on passing a bridge or tunnel. There is no jolting or rocking as in conveyances on common roads; but, on the contrary, we glide so smoothly along, that we may sit as steadily, and read as plea¬ santly, as if at home in our own arm chair. PRIMROSE HILL TUNNEL. On leaving the depot, we pass under Chalk Farm Lane bridge, and also by the New Cemetery, which is on the right, and then enter a cutting which gra¬ dually deepens till it terminates at the entrance of the Primrose Hill Tunnel, which is three quarters of a mile and twenty-five yards long; the width at the base, and height to the top of the arch, are each twenty-two feet; it is ventilated by a large shaft, which is continued about twelve feet above the level 82 PRIMROSE HILL TUNNEL. of the hill top, and stands like a tower on the eleva¬ tion above the tunnel. The entrance to the Primrose Hill is a handsome piece of architecture, built of brick and stone at an expense of 7,000/. The Tunnel, though it is called the “ Primrose Hill Tunnel,” does not run through the exact eminence known by that name, but through an adjacent one; the particular place called Primrose Hill, lies rather to the left. The sudden plunge of the train from bright daylight into the darkness of the tunnel, excites considerable sur¬ prise in most travellers; one moment we are in the midst of day—in the next the train is surrounded with a midnight darkness, which is scarcely penetrated by the rays of the dim lamps suspended at the tops of the carriages, which, though scarcely noticeable prior to entering the tunnel, are now found highly advantage¬ ous. The new north road crosses the line near the end of the tunnel ; and while the train is rapidly dashing forward on its impetuous course below, along a line of level road, the jolting stage coach and waggon are wending their slow and painful route over the su¬ perincumbent hill. The tunnel terminates in a cut¬ ting, which soon vanishes, when Hampstead Church presents itself to the right, and the line curves towards the west or left. For the first few miles the traveller’s attention is so much occupied with the various objects of interest ex¬ ternal to the carriage he is placed in, that but little observation is given to the persons who may be com¬ prised in the party with which he is associated. Per¬ haps no circumstance is more calculated to bring toge- TRAVELLERS. 83 ther more heterogeneous groups than that of railway lo¬ comotion ; and the student in human character may spend a portion of the short time allotted to a railway journey of a hundred miles, in a pleasant and useful manner, by studying the various intellectual and moral characteristics which are sure to be exhibited. There may be seen the man of science; the matter-of-fact man; the advocate of system, indicating in every action his love of order and precision in every thing, and perhaps, from being an engineer on the line, always capacitated to communicate intelligence respecting it to an en¬ quirer ; and opposite to him may sit the dashing young gentleman, full of every absurd extravagance, or sulky because the regulations of the company do not permit him to annoy every one about him by smoking cigars; then may be seen the laughing-faced, rosy-cheeked schoolboy, on his way to Harrow or Rugby, and the gravid and gloomy fanatic watching him, as if jealous of his boyish spirits, and evidently labouring under the notion that youth’s joyousness is immoral. There also may be heard the sentiments of the various poli¬ tical and social Conservatives and Reformers, boldly avowed and uncompromisingly maintained; and the sad complaining of some elderly maiden lady, respect¬ ing the dreadful separation of herself and her band- boxes, they having been placed, in accordance with the regulations of the company, not where they would inconvenience and annoy the passengers, but in a se¬ parate carriage, suitable to the conveyance of luggage of all kinds, whether trunks, portmanteaus, or band-boxes. An ordinary person to be met with in the train is the 84 TRAVELLERS. mercantile traveller, whose notions will generally be found almost limited to his own trading pursuits; he can speak to a question respecting the prices of the articles in the sale of which he has been instrumental, or as to the relative localities and distances of towns from one another; questions such as. What number of miles is Walsall from Birmingham P which is the best house to stop at in Wolverhampton ? or even how many tolls are there on such a road ? will gene¬ rally be answered with facility by almost any indivi¬ dual of this class; while some few are to be found who possess intelligence of a much higher order. Another class of men that may be met with is that of the farmer, who, despite his predisposition for horse¬ flesh, and interest in upholding the corn-consuming animal, is obliged, for convenience and time-saving, to do like the rest of the world, and take a rapid and cheap conveyance, in preference to a slow and expensive one, to go to town to market with his samples of corn, perhaps having sent his fat cattle, wool, &c., on a pre¬ vious train ; and after transacting his business, instead of driving along a road by night, stopping at different inns, and being exposed to the liabilities of inebriety, robbery, and accident, he jumps into the omnibus, is carried to the station, and whirled off, 20, 30, or 50 miles into the country, with the most magic celerity and safety, much to the gratification of his family and the benefit of his purse. Among the variety of characters which the motley concourse that make up the loading of a train exhibits, there is one general trait which is sure to be noticed by any observant person—that is, the TRAVELLERS. 85 behaviour of the company, taken as a mass, which so forcibly contrasts with the groups to be met with on stage-coaches. This moral superiority results from the influence of the arrangements on the railway. A person of any moral dignity, the moment he enters the station, sees that everything is conducted systema¬ tically, and that such arrangements are of the greatest possible advantage to each and to all, and finds his sentiments harmonised at once in accordance with the general order; then there is no stopping at public houses, drinking and smoking, as in the old system; no opportunities for spendthrifts who never knew the trouble of collecting money, to show off, by treating the coachman and guard; and consequently, the vio¬ lence and brutal language incidental to ordinary con¬ veyances, are never met with on the line. A constant occupant of the train is the London shop-keeper, who finds it worth while to leave the counter for a day or two, and go down into the manufacturing districts, for the purpose of looking about for those commodities most suitable to the wants of the customers; some¬ times this person may be a lady, who is merely go¬ ing to Dunstable and that vicinity to inspect the straw plaits; at other times, a draper, on his way to Coventry for ribbon, Manchester for cotton, or Leeds for woollen cloths, &c., &c., &c. Numbers of London tradesmen may continually be met with in the trains, who are going down to Birmingham to beat about among the manufacturers there, for the purpose of finding the best, cheapest, and most suitable articles to their demands that are made in that wealth-produc- i 86 KILBURN. ing neighbourhood. There may he met, with the lord and the labourer, the member of parliament who can talk nothing hut politics, and the country gentleman, who can hold converse on no subject that is uncon¬ nected with horses, dogs, or guns; the theatrical lady or gentleman, and those of extreme bashfulness and retired habits ; the constable and the pickpocket; the rough, unpolished sailor, the machine-like soldier, and the puppy officer, which latter is distinguishable from other people by his dramatic costume, effeminate coun¬ tenance, lady’s waist, and tinsel garniture. The train now approaches the Edgware Road, so notorious for deeds “ of dreadful note.” Close to the bridge at Kilburn, by which the road crosses the line, on our left side, is the Bell, a cele¬ brated resort for “jovial souls,” and on a fine day, sun¬ dry groups of happy citizens may be observed in the pleasantly-laid-out garden, which is by the side of the railway, reclining at ease on garden chairs, or sitting in the grottoes or summer-houses, quaffing the favo¬ rite stimulating beverage, inhaling the country air, smoking the wondrous weed, or as it is technically called, “ blowing their cloud,” and now and then r catching a momentary glimpse of the trains as they shoot past upon their upward or downward course. Kilburn, is a hamlet situated three miles from Lon¬ don, on that part of the old Watling-street called the Edgware Road; being a convenient distance from town, and pleasantly situated, it has been fixed on as a place of residence by many genteel families, and the EDGWARE. 87 number of country villas in the neighbourhood has lat¬ terly augmented considerably. There is a spa here called Kilburn Wells, the water of which acts aperiently. About five miles further, on the Wading Street Road, is Edgware, formerly a market town, which, from its pleasant neighbourhood, has become a favo¬ rite residence for opulent retired families. The Duke of Chandos, in the beginning of the last century, built a princely abode for himself here, called The Palace of Canons; the walls at the base were twelve feet thick, and at the upper parts nine feet; the pillars and steps were of the finest polished marble ; the locks and hinges of the doors, of silver, and all the external and internal arrangements and decorations; were in harmony with what has been mentioned. The cost of its erection was 250,000/. As soon as the nobleman died, to gratify whose taste it had been erected, as it had no other utility as a whole, it was taken to pieces, and sold by parts to the different nobles and gentry who might fancy them: the columns were taken to form the portico of Wanstead House; the staircase was fixed up at the Earl of Chesterfield’s house, at May- fair, London, and the rest were distributed in various directions : the statue of George I., in the area of Leicester-square, once formed an ornament at Canons. After the Kilburn bridge, some rich pasture land presents itself, in which the cattle may be observed gazing in wonder, or galloping in affright at the ap¬ proach of the trains : the sides of the line all along are constructed so as to prevent the trespass of cattle on the railway; and near the roads the fence is made to 88 WORMWOOD SCRUBS. secure the line against the inroads of dogs, by wires being passed along at the lower part; the policemen also are stationed at short distances all along the line, and just previous to a train’s passing, have to walk over their heat to see that all is secure ; so that pas¬ sengers may always rest assured, that whatever part they may be going over, has just previously been in¬ spected by a policeman, who, if anything had existed that was calculated to endanger the train in its pas¬ sage, would have given the signal to the engineer, in time to stop, prior to the arrival of the trains at the dangerous place. After a few bridges and a cutting, we enter the Kensall Green Tunnel, which extends from the 4 \ to the 4| mile post; it is ventilated by five shafts, and is passed by the train in about half a minute. After emerging from the tunnel, we soon arrive at the Mitre Bridge ; it is composed of a single arch, over which is the road leading from Wormwood Scrubs, on the left; to Willesden on the right. Wormwood Scrubs is possessed of much martial celebrity, from the duels, prize-fights, and cavalry reviews incidental to that locality. Willesden is a parish, containing 1376 inhabitants: the village church is built in a modern style. Soon after passing the fifth mile post, we arrive at the intended station, where the Birmingham, Bristol, and Thames Grand Junction Railway joins the line; and soon afterwards a glimpse may be had of the Great Western Railway, which is about half a mile to the left. The road from Acton to Harlesden Green ACTON. 89 crosses the line by the Old Oak Bridge, at the mile post. Acton is a village about two miles to the west of the line; the name is of Saxon origin, the word Ac signifying oak, and ton a town : the neighbourhood is said to have been once the site of extensive oak forests, and a portion of it still retains the name of the old oak common. Acton is celebrated for being the head quarters of the Earls of Essex and Warwick, just pre¬ viously to the battle of Brentford, in 1642; and also for being the place where Cromwell was met, on his return after the battle of Worcester, by a grand pro¬ cession, consisting of the Lord President and Council of State, the members of the House of Commons, and the Lord Mayor, Alderman, and Citizens of London, on which occasion the Recorder of London pronounced an address congratulating the victorious General, after which Cromwell was followed on his course to town by a train of between 300 and 400 carriages and crowds of the people, all filled with enthusiasm at the presence of their protector. Glimpses of the Paddington canal, which runs for a few miles on the left side of the railway, may now and then be had in this part of the journey. After passing the old oak bridge the train enters a cutting; on the right of which may be seen a pleasant villa, the residence of Mr. Tubbs , and just beyond are the “Lower Place Gates.” Gates are used on railways where a common road crosses on the level of the line, and a man is stationed there to shut them when the train is coming, so as to prevent any vehicle or person i 2 90 HARROW-ON* THE-HILL. from being in the way daring that dangerous period. The road from Apperton to Lower Place, two small hamlets, is the one that crosses here. The gate¬ keeper’s cottage is by the side of the gates, and has an air of rural comfort and cleanliness about it of a highly pleasing nature. Leaving the gates behind, and Mr. Turner s farm on the left, we soon find ourselves on a high embankment over a wide valley, from which, looking northwards may be obtained a view of the church spire of Harrow-on-the-Hill: on the left may be seen the Paddington canal and Acton road, and on the right the London and Harrow road. Twyford Abbey is situate at rather more than half-a-mile dis¬ tance to the left, but is not discernible, owing to the intervening foliage. Willesden church is observable to the right, and in the valley the river Brent is seen wandering along; this streamlet is a celebrated resort for anglers, and is said to be well stocked with pike, perch, trout, &c. Hither, on a summer’s day, the citi¬ zen, tired of the business and bustle of the town, is wont to come with rod and line, and luxuriate for a few hours upon the banks of this brook, on which occasions the neighbouring tavern, the Coach and Horses, which may be seen on the road to the right, forms a comfort¬ able quartering place, when actuated by a summer’s thirst, a country appetite, or a sudden storm. At the 7tli mile post the line crosses the Brent by a viaduct and then continues along the embankment a quarter of a mile, when it enters a series of cuttings; the length of this embankment over the valley, is one mile and a quarter. This neighbourhood is cele- HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. 91 brated for stag hunting, on which occasions it is some¬ times honored by the presence of her Majesty. Wemb- ley Park is about three quarters of a mile to the east. The Harrow road used to cross the line at a tempo¬ rary gate, but a bridge has been erected and the road elevated, so as to go over it without much difficulty to carts or carriages; the gate was removed as soon as the bridge and elevated road were completed. After the bridge, the train enters a small cutting, Harrow being visible to the left, and passing the east lane bridge, arrives at a place where the line is on a level with the adjacent fields, which are of a beautiful and luxuriant character; we then dash through a cutting and arrive on a small embankment, from which may be obtained a splendid view of Harrow, crowning the hill-top to the left, and the spire peering over the tall trees by which the church is surrounded, while on the north¬ east in the distance is Bentley Priory, the residence of the Marquis of Abercorn. This sight can scarcely fail to suggest the lines of Byron on a distant view of Harrow:— ON A DISTANT VIEW OF THE VILLAGE AND SCHOOL OF HARROW ON THE HILL. Ye scenes of my childhood, whose loved recollection Embitter the present, compared with the past; Where science first dawn’d on the powers of reflection, And friendships were form’d, too romantic to last; Where fancy yet joys to retrace the resemblance Of comrades, in friendship and mischief allied ; How welcome to me your ne’er fading remembrance, Which rests in the bosom, though hope is denied ! 92 HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. Again I revisit the hills where we sported, The streams where we swam, and the fields where we fought 5 The school where, loud warn’d by the bell, we resorted, To pore o’er the precepts by pedagogues taught. Again I behold where for hours I have ponder’d, As reclining, at eve, on yon tombstone I lay; Or round the steep brow of the churchyard I wander’d, To catch the last gleam of the sun’s setting ray. I once more view the room, with spectators surrounded, Where as Zanga, I trod on Alonzo overthrown; While, to swell my young pride, such applauses resounded, I fancied that Mossop himself was outshone: Or, as Lear, I pour’d forth the deep imprecation, By my daughters, of kingdom and reason deprived; Till, fired by loud plaudits and self-adulation, I regarded myself as a Garrick revived. Ye dreams of my boyhood, how much I regret you ! Unfaded your memory dwells in my breast; Though sad and deserted, I ne’er can forget you : Your pleasures may still be in fancy possest. To Ida full oft may remembrance restore me, While fate shall the shades of the future unroll! Since darkness o’ershadows the prospect before me, More dear is the beam of the past to my soul. But if, through the course of the years which await me, Some new scene of pleasure should open to view, I will say, while with rapture the thought shall elate me, “Oh! such were the days which my infancy knew.*’ We approach Kenton bridge, by which the road from Kenton to Harrow crosses the line, and soon after the train has rushed under, the action of the engine is suddenly stopped, and the screeching sound HARROW STATION. 93 of the wheels, (which refuse to turn upon the rail in consequence of the friction of what are called the breaks on their circumference,) is heard, and imme¬ diately the train stops at the HARROW STATION. From London 11§ miles.—From Birmingham 101 miles. Figs. 14 and 15 are two sorts of breaks for regu¬ lating the speed of the carriages down inclined planes, or stopping them when necessary. Fig. 14. By turning the han¬ dles A, A, the rod is raised by its screw end passing through the spiral nut i, and it conse¬ quently raises the lever c to which it is attached at k; the lever c acts upon the axle a, which presses the break d upon the surface or face of the wheel e } e , and produces sufficient friction to prevent it from revolving, f, f are the brackets by which the rod is fastened to the carriage. r is the rail on which the wheel revolves. Fig . 14. 94 KARROW-ON-TH E-HILL. Fig. 15. Fig. 15. The same effect is produced by this break, in the following manner. The rod g turns with the handle h, and at the end is the cogged wheel a , which turns a similar wheel b; the upper axle of b , wheel b } is also cogged, and acts upon the rack d , by which means the end e of the lever /, which works on its fulcrum i on the axle a, is drawn so as to force the break k against the surface of the wheel w. f,f are the brackets by which the rods are held to the car¬ riages. The breaks d and k. Figs. 14 and 15, are made of hard wood, which is not liable to slip easily on an iron surface. HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. 95 The offices at the Harrow Station are on the right side of the line; on the left is the water pump, with a crane arm, and in the centre is the signal post. Close at hand are a number of coaches and omnibusses, waiting to take passengers to the neighbouring towns. Harrow-on-the-Hill, formerly a market town, is principally noted for its Free Grammar School, a brick building contiguous to the church, which was founded in the reign of Elizabeth, in 1571, by John Lyon, a native of the hamlet of Preston, which is in the vicinity. Among other regulations that he ordained was one that the pupils should be taught archery; this was rigidly carried into practice for a period, and up to the middle of the last century there were annual meetings held on the 4th of August, when the youth belonging to the school were used to shoot at a mark, for a prize of a silver arrow. The archery has since then been done away with, and the day is now devoted to a public show of the oratorical talents of the stu¬ dents. Harrow has been associated with the names of many distinguished men ; it was here that the learned and much resjDected Dr. Samuel Parr was born in 1747, and the school has nurtured the genius of many who have attained the highest intellectual eminence. The circumstance, however, which has given Harrow more celebrity than any other, is the fact that it was the school of our great national poet, Byron. The towns¬ people tell many tales of the youthful poet’s humours and feats, and there is a tomb in the church yard, commanding a view over Windsor, which is pointed 96 HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. out to strangers, on which he used to sit for hours* when labouring under those morbid excitements which afterwards made him so exalted; the schoolboys called this “ Byrons tomb,” and the memory of it was always dear to the poet, in after years he thus refers to this circumstance— “ Oft when oppress’d with sad foreboding gloom, “ I sat reclin’d upon our favorite tomb.” A stranger will he much interested in examining the old school room, the desks, forms, pannelling, floor, and doors of which are composed of oak, and are figured all over with the initials or names of the various hoys educated here, together with other figures. Among the names may be seen those of Richard Brindsley Sheridan, Spencer Percival, Lord Byron, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Palmerston, &c. It was in this neighbourhood that the unfortunate Anthony Babington, the principal in a conspiracy to destroy the life of Queen Elizabeth, restore the Catho¬ lic religion, and raise Mary of Scots to the throne of England, was captured. Babington and a number of heated fanatics, instigated by a priest of the name of Ballard, joined in this daring conspiracy, and, as is usual in such cases, government spies were the most ardent in hatching the treason. Two priests, called Gifford and Maud, who were the hired spies of Walsing- ham, the then Secretary of State, urged on the busi¬ ness to its proper climax, from time to time, giving due information of its progress to the government; at length the conspirators became suspicious that they were known, and dispersed and fled from London, H ARROW-ON-TH E-HILL. 97 hiding themselves in barns, in forests, or any such lone hiding places. Babington resorted to Harrow, stained his face to the colour of a gipsy’s with the juice of fresh walnuts, disguised himself in apparel unusual to him, and took up his abode at the house of a person called Jerome Bellamy, and described as a “ gloomy papist,” where, after a time he was arrested, and taken to London. He and thirteen of his associates were found guilty of high treason, and condemned to suffer the sentence of the law, which is thus described by Blackstone,— “ The punishment of high treason in general is very solemn and terrible. 1, That the offender be drawn to the gallows, and not be carried or walk, though usually (by connivance, at length ripened by huma¬ nity into law,) a sledge or hurdle is allowed, to preserve the offender from the extreme torment of being dragged on the ground or pavement. 2, That he be hanged by the neck and then cut down alive. 3, That his entrails be taken out and burned while he is yet alive. 4, That his head be cut off. 5, That his body be divided into four parts. 6, That his head and quarters be at the Crown’s disposal.” To this descrip¬ tion is appended the following note,—“ This punish¬ ment for treason Sir Edward Coke tells us is warranted by divers examples in Scripture, for Joab was drawn, Bithan was hanged, Judas was embowelled, and so of the rest.”* On the 20th of September, 1586, seven of the conspirators were drawn to the place of execution, in St. Giles’s Fields. Just prior to the infliction of * Blackstone’s Commentaries. K 98 HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. the horrible sentence, John Ballard, the priest, con¬ fessed “ that he was guilty of those things for which he was condemned, but protested they were never en- terprised by him in any hope of preferment, but for the advancement of true religion.” Babington also confessed his guilt, and said “ that he was persuaded by the priest into the notion that the murder of the Queen would be a “lawful and meritorious act.” The other conspirators made similar confessions, and then the horrible, revolting, and worse than brutal sentence was executed. The following lines illustrate the deep melancholy of one of these gentlemen while waiting for and contemplating his approaching end. “ VERSES, “ Made by Chidiock Titchburne of himselfe in the Tower , the night before he suffered death . “ My prime of youth is but a frost of cares, My feast of joy is but a dish of pain, My crop of corn is but a field of tares, And all my goodes is but vain hope of gain. The day is fled, and yet I saw no sun, And now I live, and now my life is done. " My spring is past, and yet it hath not sprung, The fruit is dead, and yet the leaves are green, My youth is past, and yet I am but young, I saw the world, and yet I was not seen; My thread is cut, and yet, it is not spun, And now I live, and now my life is done! HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. 99 “ I sought for death, and found it in the wombe, I look’d for life and yet it was a shade, I trode the ground, and knew it was my tombe, And now I dye, and now I am but made. The glass is full, and yet my glass is run; And now I live, and now my life is done.” On the day after the first seven died, the other seven conspirators were executed. The murderous spirit which induced this horrible affair was common to the Protestants, as w r ell as the Catholics; indeed, it is evi¬ dent that the plot was hatched by the then Ministry, for the purpose of implicating Mary Queen of Scots. A law had been passed the previous year, evidently design¬ ed to put the life of Queen Mary at the disposal of Eli¬ zabeth, and this being done, all that was required was an ostensible reason for acting on the law. The Babing- ton plot was got up, and a number of Catholic fanatics trepanned; but, so far from being unacquainted with the progress of this plot, the government was not only aware of it, but actually instigated some of the princi¬ pal designs, and by their agency enabled the conspi¬ rators to communicate with Mary. Elizabeth was not merely conscious of the progress of the plans, hut was in possession of a picture containing accurate portraits of the principal conspirators, yet, no effort was made to prevent or arrest the evil; but, on the contrary, it was worked up until it gave something like a sanction to the execution of Mary. Some of the Protestants were fearful that the beheading of the Queen of Scots would excite the people against the government, and “Leicester advised that Mary be despatched by poison. 100 UXBRIDGE. and lie sent a divine to convince him (Walsingham) of the lawfulness of that action.”* The government plot, of which poor Babington and his confederates were the unfortunate victims, was soon afterwards ter¬ minated successfully by the death of Queen Mary. Harrow church, from its elevated situation, is a con¬ spicuous object throughout the neighbouring country, and an anecdote is told of Charles the II., that while riding in the neighbourhood of Windsor, some of his party being engaged in a theological discussion respect¬ ing the visible church on earth, the merry Monarch remarked that the most visible church then present was the church of Harrow-on-the-Hill. Besides the villages of Greenford, Ickenham, Northolt, Pinner, Ruislip, which are situated at various small distances from the Harrow Station, on the left side of the line, there is also on the same side, about eight and a half miles off, the manufacturing and market town of Uxbridge, which is situated on the high road from London to Oxford, about 15 miles from the former; it consists principally of one street^ called London, or High-street; the manufacture of husbandry implements, Windsor chairs, &c., is car¬ ried on to a considerable extent. The population is about 3048. On the right hand side, at various small distances, are Harrow Weald, Kenton, Edgware, El¬ ston, and Stanmore, which is celebrated for having been the place where the Prince Regent, Emperor of Hume’s History ttf-^ngland.’ OXBURY LANE CUTTING. 101 Russia, King of Prussia and Louis XVIII. met just after the overthrow of Napoleon. On leaving the Station, Harrow Weald, a small hamlet, is on the right, and soon we enter a cutting and pass the Hatchend bridge, over which runs a road com¬ municating the villages of Hatchend, which is to the right, and Pinner, to the left. On the right may be observed a pleasant white villa, the residence of the Rev. Mr. Monro , the curate of Harrow church, and soon afterwards, on the left hand side may he observed the country residence of Mr. Tilbury , horse-dealer, called Dove House, situate amidst gardens, with fish pools in front and rear; close by the Dove House runs the road leading from Uxbridge to Stanmore, which crosses the line over the Dove House bridge. After passing several excavations we arrive at that called the Oxhey Lane Cutting which is in parts 40 feet deep; the sides of these were clayed over, and are now a series of beautiful gardens of wild flowers, which in their due season enliven the lonely walks of the policeman by their beauty and fragrance; though, owing to the rapidity with which the traveller is im¬ pelled, the clusters of violets, the harebell, the forget-me- not, and the germander speedwell, are to him scarcely perceptible. We hope that, ere long, the directors will see the propriety of putting the sides of embank¬ ments and cuttings to some use, and would beg to suggest to them the planting of trees, not only as a source of revenue to the company and ornament to the line, but as an excellent protection to the sides, against the action of the weather, and a preventative k 2 102 LONDON CLAY FORMATION, of the land- slips which so frequently take place. Pre¬ vious to the claying and vegetation on the sides of these cuttings, the stratification shewn by them was of the highest interest to the geologist; the London clay, the formation on which London is built, and which extends throughout the vicinity of the metro polis, gets thin about this part of the line; and in the Oxhey Lane cutting the chalk and green-sand were cut into. To aid in giving a general notion of the geology of the line, we subjoin the following dia¬ gram, which must not be supposed to be geograph¬ ically correct; but only useful in giving a knowledge of the relative positions of the four great systems of strata through which the line is cut. a Tertiary system b Cretaceous system. c Oolitic system. d Salliferious system. l. London. b. Birmingham. The formation over part of which we have come is called the London clay, and constitutes the lower por¬ tion of what geologists call the tertiary formation. It consists of immense beds of argillaceous matter resting above the chalk, wdiich latter has, at some very remote period, formed the floor of a gulph of the sea or bed of the mouth of a large river, which has gradually been filled up by muddy depositions, from 300 to 600 OXHEY LANE CUTTING. 103 feet thick, now constituting the London clay. The clay with which this chalk basin has been filled up, forms the site of the British metropolis and neigh¬ bourhood; it extends on the north and west to the Chalk Hills of Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire. On the east it reaches to the sea, and on the south terminates at the North Downs. At the period when the deposit was being formed, the temperature of the locality was of a much higher character, and the neighbouring shores produced a variety of tropical plants and animals. The abundance of vegetable fossils found, resembling the cardamom, date, areca, cocoa, and a berry anala- gous to coffee, gives rise to the supposition that the neighbouring land constituted a group of spice islands, the shores of which were, judging from the animal remains, the haunt of various species allied to the cro¬ codile, the turtle, the shark, &c. In excavating this formation in making the railway, immense numbers of marine shells of extinct species, remains of crabs, lob¬ sters, &c., sharks’ teeth, bones of fishes, crocodiles, and turtles, and a variety of tropical vegetables were found, which latter appear as if they had been drifted by a current into the ancient gulph. The Oxhey Lane cutting is about a mile and a half in length, and in its excavation 372,000 cubic yards of earth had to be removed. It is crossed by several bridges, the principal one of which is the Ox¬ hey Lane bridge, which has three arches, and is re¬ markable for the height it stands above the line. It is just before we arrive at the bridge that the imagin- 104 WATFORD ary line which separates the counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire crosses the railway. On leaving the excavation, the train dashes along an embankment nearly as high as the cutting was deep, and from this may be gained an extensive view of the surrounding country. The train now enters another cutting, and just after we pass the Watford Heath Bridge, which has three arches, and is of a gigantic character, the line runs on the Watford embankment, and crosses the London road, on a viaduct of five arches, the cen¬ tral one of which spans the coach road. We are now WATFORD EMBANKMENT. on the great Watford embankment; the town is be¬ neath it on the left, and the train is flying above the house tops of the good townsfolk, upon a mound of the most gigantic nature, which great work has sprung into existence in consecpience of the Earl of Essex’s VIADUCT NEAR WATFORD WATFORD EMBANKMENT. 105 opposition to the line going through his park. The view all along the embankment is extensive and pleas¬ ing ; on the left is the Park of Mr. King , in which groups of deer may he observed. Behind the park, on the river Colne, are the Silk Mills of Mr. Shute , and looking onwards, in the same direction, the scene is closed by woodlands belonging to the Parks of Lord Grosvenor and Baron Vaughan. Close to the line is the town, partly hid by the trees; the gas¬ works, workhouse, and church spire of which, are con¬ spicuous : the river Colne, which we cross on a viaduct of five arches, winds close to the embankment. On the right side, the Colne may be seen fringed with willows, meandering down the valley, amidst rich meadows and pastures, and the uplands in the distance crowned with woodlands. The embankment is about a mile and a half long, and in places upwards of forty feet high ; the materials of which it is composed, are chalk and gravel, of which it took nearly one million cubic yards to make this enormous mound, which is the largest on the line. The viaduct by which the Colne is crossed, is 312 feet in length, from one end of the parapet to the other, and fifty feet in height from the river; it is made of brick, with stone cornicing, and has an elegant appearance from the meadows below; the whole rests for a foundation on platforms of wood, w r hich are fixed in the loose soft clay which composes the valley. The erection cost nearly 10,000/. Owing to the want of stability in the soil of which the Colne valley is composed, many slips have taken place in the embankment, and much anxiety given to the engineers. 106 WATFORD. and labour to the workmen; the subsidence of the level of the railway is a circumstance of so very important a nature. After crossing some small bridges we soon come to the end of the embankment, and arrive at the bridge which takes the road from Watford to St. Alban’s over the line, aud enter the WATFORD STATION. From London 17f miles.—From Birmingham 94J miles. Here is a coke and engine house, water cistern, crane, pump, and all the necessary appliances of a station. Watford is a station for first as well as second class trains; the arrangements as at other stations, are all highly calculated to give passengers satisfaction. Conveyances to the neighbouring towns are in waiting on the arrival of the trains. Watford, a market town, about half a mile from the station, derives its name from the Watling Street crossing the Colne at a ford hereabouts; the town con¬ sists principally of a street about a mile in length. There are three silk mills in the neighbourhood; and these, together with the straw plait, which is manufac¬ tured here, employ a considerable number of persons. Rickmansworth is a market town, four miles left of the station, and eighteen miles from London, de¬ lightfully situated in a valley near the confluence of the Colne and Gade with the Chess. The name of the town is of Saxon origin, and was anciently written Rickmeresweard and Rykemereswearth, and was evi¬ dently suggested by the quality of the neighbouring WATFORD STATION.—MOUTH OF THE TUNNEL. ST. ALBAN’S. 107 soil and vegetation, such names signifying a rich moor sward. In the parish there f are six paper mills, a number of flour mills, and an extensive brewery; the manufacture of straw plait is carried on here, and also that of horse hair seating for chairs; and the cultiva¬ tion of water cresses for the supply of the metropolis, gives occupation to numbers of the people. The manor, which, with four others, constituted the lord- ship of Pynesfield, formed part of the dominions of Ofla, King of Mercia, and was given by him in a fit of pious enthusiasm to the monks of St. Alban’s, by whom it was retained till the period of the reformation, when it was taken by the crown, and afterwards be¬ stowed on Ridley, Bishop of London, by Edward IV.; in the following reign the bishop was burnt by the Catholics for heresy, and Queen Mary vested this property in Bonner, the successor of Ridley to the Bishopric of London; in the reign of Elizabeth, the lands again reverted to the crown, and in course of time became the property of private individuals. About six miles from the Watford station, at the right side of the line, is St. Alban’s, a market town, situated on the Watling Street, twenty miles from London. The history connected with St. Alban’s is of a more antique nature than that of most other towns: anterior to its existence, there stood the Ro¬ man Verulamium, just separated from its site by the river Ver. Verulamium, or Verulam, is said by the Roman historians to have been founded by the Britons prior to the first nucleus of London having sprung into being. It is described by Caesar as a place of 108 ST. ALBAN S. great natural and artificial strength, situated amidst, and strongly defended by, woods and marshes, and surrounded by a fosse and ramparts: the houses were of wood and rudely constructed. Verulam was, in the time of the Emperor Nero, a free city, inhabited by Romans and Britons. Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, stormed it in the reign of Claudius, and slaugh¬ tered most of the inhabitants; after this it again fell into the hands of the Romans, who looked on it as an important station, and occupied it till the subversion of their sway took place, when it soon became the possession of the Saxons. During the period of the Roman power, a citizen of the name of Albanus had been converted to Christianity, in the year 293, and being accused of having adopted a religion, the main feature of which was the denial of the existence of the gods and goddesses then worshipped, which denial was then deemed Atheism, he declining to recant and abjure his heresy, was beheaded on Holmhurst Hill. Albanus being thus made a martyr by the Heathens, was afterwards of course canonized by the Christians; and OfFa, King of Mercia, a very devout man, erected on Holmhurst in 793, a monastery for 100 monks, in commemoration of St. Albanus, which name has been contracted into St. Albans. The monks throve well; and when they came under the dominancy of Ulsinus or Ulsig, their sixth abbot, considerable efforts were made to get people to settle in the neighbourhood. A church to St. Stephen, another to St. Michael, and a third to St. Peter, were erected; and capital was advanced to industrious per- ST. ALBANS. 109 sons to build in the neighbourhood, thus making the nucleus of a town and by a little outlay, ultimately vastly increasing the revenue of the monastery, by making a portion of its domains the site of a town. Frederic, the thirteenth abbot, offered some opposi¬ tion to the Norman Conquerer; and William, in due time, took considerable slices from the lands of the monks, and would have taken all, and destroyed the monastery, but for the interposition of Archbishop Lanfranc. The gross tyranny of these priests so incensed the neighbouring people against them, that Wat Tyler, on attacking the monastery, was powerfully aided by them. After the fall of this extraordinary man. King Richard II came to St. Albans, and tried some of the town’s people for supporting the rebels; many being found guilty of treason were executed. The first great battle that was fought between the rival houses of York and Lancaster took place in this neighbourhood on the 22nd of May, 1455; in this terrible affray, the Yorkists are said to have killed 5,000 of their enemies, among whom were the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, the Earl of Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham, and numerous other nobles and gentlemen of distinction ; another terrible battle was fought here on the 17th of Febru¬ ary, 1461, on which occasion the Lancastrians were victorious, and made great slaughter of the Yorkists. About ten years after the latter battle, printing was introduced into England; and a press was set to work at the monastery, from which issued the first copy of L 110 ST. alban’s. the Bible, and many other works of a theological nature. That distinguished philosopher, Francis Bacon, Lord High Chancellor of England, received the titles from this neighbourhood of Baron Verulam and Vis¬ count St. Alban’s; his body was, by the following request in his will, interred in St. Michael’s. “For my burial, I desire it may he in St. Michael’s Church, near St. Alban’s: there was my mother buried, and it is the parish church of my mansion-house of Gorham- bury, and it is the only Christian church within the walls of old Verulam.” In a niche, on the northern side of the chancel, there is a finely sculptured alabaster statue of this celebrated man. His lordship died with¬ out issue, and his honours thus became defunct. The title of Duke of St. Alban’s was afterwards re¬ vived by Charles II, and bestowed by him on Charles Beauclerk, his bastard son, by his celebrated mistress Nell Gwynn. The lineal descendant of this illegiti¬ mate offspring of royalty now possesses the title. The title of Baron Verulam, of Gorhambury, was revived and given to one of the Grimstone family, in 1790. The town consists of the parish of St. Alban’s, which is the Abbey parish, part of the parish of St. Peter, and a portion of St, Michael’s. The manufacture of straw plait gives employment to about 1,000 persons, and a silk mill to nearly a third of this number; there was formerly a place in which the operations of the lapidary, consisting of the cutting and polishing of diamonds, was carried on to a considerable extent, hut this is now changed to a mill for the spinning of cot- WATFORD TUNNEL. Ill ton wicks for candles. There is a good market on Saturday for the sale of straw plait, corn, provisions, &c. A statute fair is held on the 11th, 12th, and 13th days of October, and on the 25th and 26th days of March there is a fair for cattle, &c. The view of St. Alban’s, in all its approaches, is of an exceedingly in¬ teresting and beautiful character. On leaving the Watford Station, the train enters a deep cutting through gravel, containing masses of chalk; and after passing the accommodation bridge, for Mr. Moore’s farm, we enter the Watford Tunnel, which runs under a part of the Earl of Essex’s estate. The tunnel was cut through the chalk and gravel: in some places the former was of an exceedingly in¬ durated nature; but the latter was mostly so loose as to resemble a running sand, and required much en¬ gineering skill to get through it. In forming this tunnel, six shafts were sunk; and at one of them, the fourth which we come to, easily detectable from its magnitude, and the consequent broad and vivid glare of light which it throws into the tunnel, a melancholy accident took place, which, though similar unfortunate occurrences are commonly incidental to mining work, created a strong sensation at the time. This shaft was sunk about nine feet in diameter; and the workmen were rapidly proceeding with its completion, when suddenly the whole mass of gravel, chalk, and soil surrounding it gave way, and buried ten men who were at work fixing one of the iron rings which are placed in the top of the tunnel to support the brickwork of the shaft. It appears that the men had penetrated 112 WATFORD TUNNEL. through the chalk into the gravel, to place the iron ring, when that loose material rushed in upon, and overwhelmed them; all perished, and so sudden was the catastrophe, that some of the unfortunates were not even knocked down, but enveloped in the position in which they were standing: one body in particular was found about three weeks afterwards, in remov¬ ing the loose materials, standing upright, trowel in hand, as employed at the moment of the dreadful oc¬ currence. This accident led to the enlargement of the shaft to its present gigantic size. WATFORD TUNNEL. The tunnel is one mile and thirty yards long, and the arches at the terminations are about twenty-five LANGLEY BURY. 113 feet high, and twenty-four feet wide; the retaining walls rise from the slopes of the cuttings, and the fronts are ornamented with a handsome cornice, and sur¬ mounted by a pediment. On leaving the tunnel, there is a cutting, the sides of which are solid walls of chalk, in which may be observed the dark layers of flints. Cashiobury Park, the demesne of the Earl of Essex, extends at the left from near Watford to our present position; hut from the nature of the line, situ¬ ated as it is in the cutting and tunnel, no view of it can be obtained. Immediately after the clatter of the train passing under the first bridge, after the tunnel, on looking backwards, to the left, the dark woods on the estate of the Earl of Clarendon may be observed; and the mansion and estate of Mr. Wittinstall, called Langley Bury, with its rookery and pleasure grounds, with the Grand Junction Canal winding near the line, form a lovely scene, the beauty of which is heightened by the contrast with the darkness of the tunnel, and the dullness of the white walls of the cutting. Lang¬ ley Bury was erected originally in the time of Charles II, by Raymond, Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench; it stands on a delightful eminence, at the foot of which flows the river Gade. At the twentieth mile post, the farm and out-houses of Mr. Reeves, and the village of Hunton Bridge, present themselves on the left side, and the line crosses a duct over a road leading from Rickmansworth to St. Alban’s. Rose Hill House, the residence of Captain Eos - l 2 114 KINGS LANGLEY. kett, may now be seen on the elevation to the right, which is called the Gallows Hill, and sometimes Mount Pleasant; the two names have such different associa¬ tions with them that it is difficult to understand why they should have been given to the same place, unless, perhaps, that the latter was intended to be ironical with reference to the meaning of the first. The Gallows Hill Bridge is crossed, and then to the left may he seen the Paper Mills, the property of Messrs . Dickenson Co., behind which rises King’s Langley Hill, and a little onward lies the village of King’s Langley, on the edge of the hill, with the Church, an ancient edifice, and a large, and from the line, conspicuous church-yard, situated at the southern end of the village. The Church has a square embat¬ tled tower, surmounted by a small spire: in it is the tomb of Edmund de Langley, fifth son of Edward III, and Duke of York, who was born and resided at a palace that in ancient time, stood in this neighbour¬ hood. There was formerly also a priory here, the ruins of which are observable on the hill top, it was founded by Roger Helle, and given to some friars; afterwards it became liberally endowed by Edwards I, II, III, and IV. It was suppressed by Henry VIII; but in the following reign of Mary was restored, and given to some women who acted the part of prioress and nuns. Elizabeth finally suppressed it, and appropriated the property to other purposes. At the dissolution of the priory, the tomb of Edmund de Langley, which was situated within it, was taken thence and placed in the parish Church, where it now stands. The site of the HARTWELL VIADUCT. 115 priory and the few walls that are standing, are now in the occupancy of Mr. Betts, who in making some alter¬ ations in his land a few years ago, discovered Roman floors, and hones belonging to the priory; since then, several floors composed of Roman tiles have been dug up, and many lead coffins, one of which was six feet five inches long, and contained a gigantic skeleton. The road to Chipperfield and Sarratt crosses over Langley Hill top, near where the remnant is situated. Tom’s Lane here passes under the line, leading from King’s Langley to Abbots Langley, a village to the right. It was in the parish of Abbot’s Langley that Nicholas Breakspear, the only Englishman that ever filled the papal chair, was born; though the place from which he took his name is situated in the neighbour¬ ing parish of St. Michael’s: on becoming pope he was named Adrian IV; and after the enjoyment of five years of pontifical state, he was poisoned by a Roman Catholic, in consequence of declining to con¬ secrate the son of this man a bishop. On crossing Tom’s Lane, the Bell Public House is to the left just under the line, and then comes the Hartwell Viaduct; close by which, to the right, is an excavation from whence gravel and chalk have been taken to build the embankment. We cross another bridge, and then the residence of Mr. Dickenson, paper manufacturer, is on the hill to the right, situated amidst groves and pleasure grounds; and opposite to which, on the left side of the line, is a handsome white cottage on the hill top. The train now crosses the canal over a well constructed iron bridge; and on 116 VILLAGE OF TWO-WATERS. looking down the valley to the right, the residence of Mr. Longman , paper manufacturer, may he observed, in the midst of a garden; we then cross the high road, leaving the village of Two-Waters on the right, and dash into the Boxmoor Cutting, which is two miles long, and occasionally forty-one feet deep. In the village of Two-Waters there are several paper mills; and these, together with others in the neigh¬ bourhood, give considerable employment to the inha¬ bitants of the beautiful and interesting vale of Langley; hut, owing to the improvements in machinery, there is little hand labour required comparatively with what used to be prior to these improvements. The Paper Mills of Mr. Stevens, at Two-Waters, are worked by water power rented from the Directors of the Grand Junction Canal. It is pretty well known that the article which we call paper is generally made from old rags; these are first torn to pieces, and ground to a pulp in a mill; this mass then undergoes a chemi¬ cal process of bleaching, which changes it from a dirty yellow colour to a white. The white mass is placed in a large tub connected with a mill, and washed and strained; when it is mixed with water containing a little size, and assumes a fine pastelike puljiy ap¬ pearance : the lighter portion is washed through a series of filtering tubs, and looks like thin starch as it passes in a stream onwards, till it falls on a gauze wire, which is endless, and runs on rollers; through the gauze the water escapes, and leaves the pulp equally distributed over the wire work, which is kept continu¬ ally moving by the machinery of the mill. The wire EOXMOOR STATION. 117 gauze, with the pulp strewn over it, passes under a couple of rollers, which press the pulpy fibres so close that with the agency of the size they adhere together, and become at once paper, which, though wet, is suf¬ ficiently firm to permit its being taken from the gauze by another roller; it is then forwarded by the ma¬ chinery on flannel past a steam-heated stove and dried, and then rolled up on a large roller, from which it is cut for dressing. All this is done by machinery, which merely requires the presence of a superintend¬ ent. The paper is produced in one continuous sheet, hut is afterwards cut into small sheets by men, and dressed by women: it is then pressed. When paper was made by hand the process was slow and laborious; the machine in Mr. Stevens’s mill can produce as much in ten hours as eight men and four boys could do in the same time by hand. Just after we pass Stevens’s accommodation bridge, a beautiful view of the village of Boxmoor, presents itself to the right, amidst luxuriant corn fields, and speedily we arrive at the BOXMOOR STATION, From London 17f miles.—From Birmingham 94f miles. which being situated on the embankment, over the Boxmoor valley, is two stories high, the hooking office being below, and the waiting rooms above, on the level with the railroad. Close to the station, the Oxford road passes under the line; and the scenery from the embankment is of the most enchanting nature. On the west are some neat houses; the country public 118 HEMEL HEMPSTEAD. house, with its rural sign, and a number of cottages scattered along the sides of the road, which is unen¬ closed, and the lands adjacent to which are ornamented with many a delightful rural residence. On the right side the scene is equally pleasing; there is the canal, with its locks and lock-keepers’ cottages, and various clusters of houses, all wearing the aspect of comfort. The first portion of the line that was opened was that which we have now travelled over, and hundreds of people used to come down thus far, in sundry pleasure parties, by the trains. On the chalk hill which rises so abruptly to the left, the top of which is crowned with a grove of fir trees, a marquee was erected for the sale of refreshments to visitors, who were at times so numerous as to make the place resemble a fair. Hemel Hempstead, about a mile and a half to the right, is a market town, situated among the hills, near the confluence of the rivers Gade and Bulbourne; the manufacture of straw plait gives employment to most of the women and children. Sir Ashley Paston Cooper, Bart., the distinguished surgeon, resides in the neighbourhood. The market is held on Thursday. The fairs are on Holy Thursday, for cattle and sheep; the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, for horses, cattle, and sheep; on the third Friday in June, for the sale of wool; and the third Monday in September a statute fair for hiring servants, &c. The train now moves along the Boxmoor embank¬ ment, and over the canal, and soon we are again in a cutting through the chalk, and then gliding along a small embankment, arrive at a portion of the line f BERKHAMPSTEAD STATION BERKHAMPSTEAD STATION. 119 where it actually intersects the farm establishment of Mr . Brown , coming so close to his house, which is on the left, as to separate it from the orchard, which is on the right; an accommodation bridge was of course erected for Mr. Brown’s convenience by the company. On the right side may be observed a gravel pit, from which materials have been taken for the con¬ struction of the embankments; the gravel rests on the chalk, vast masses of which may be observed detatched from the main layer, and isolated amidst the gravel. As we approach Berkhampstead the scenery be¬ comes luxuriant and highly interesting; on the left is the canal, with locks and lock-keepers’ white cot¬ tages, the high road, about a field’s length, and the uplands in the distance, crowned with groves; looking more frontward, on the same side, Berkhampstead spire presents itself, peering from out of the surround¬ ing trees, admidst which some tall poplars, here and there, raise up their heads above their neighbours of the grove, giving by their irregularity that semblance of nature which in more orderly arrangements is alto¬ gether lost, and for which the set stiffness of artificial regularity forms but an unpleasing and uninteresting substitute. To the right are pleasure grounds, orna¬ mented with plantations of dwarf fir trees. The train now enters a deep cutting through the chalk without flints, and passing Berkhampstead bridge and the Rose Cottage gates arrives at the BERKHAMPSTEAD STATION, From London 28 miles.—From Birmingham 84§ miles. Great Berkhampstead lies on the left side of the 120 BERKHAMPSTEAD. line; it is situated in a valley on the south-western bank of the river Bulbourne, and consists principally of two streets, which intersect one another in a cruci¬ form manner. Berkhampstead was a place of consider¬ able military note in ancient times, from some castles that were in its neighbourhood; at present it is dis¬ tinguishable for the manufacture of straw plait, the cleanliness, peace, and industry of the inhabitants, and the disgraceful corruption connected with the manage¬ ment of its Grammar School, which was founded in the reign of Henry VIII, and endowed with lands which had formerly belonged to the then dissolved Guild of St. John the Baptist, and were adequate to educate 144 hoys; the value of this land is, of course, in modem times much increased, hut nothing is done for it in the way of education; the master receives the wages hut does not do the work. The school is an ancient and good building, situated just by the church, and has been used only as an assembly room for the neighbouring gentry to dance in. How different is this from the sacred object for which it was erected! Berhampstead was formerly a market town; but owing to the prevalence of small-pox in the neigh¬ bourhood many years ago, the market was at that time done away with, for the purpose of preventing the people from the neighbourhood coming to the town. It has not since been regularly restored, but there is a good market for business on the Saturdays. Fairs are held on Shrove-Tuesday and Whit-Monday, and there is a statute fair at Michaelmas. The town is celebrated as the birth-place of the poet Cowper. Just by the station, on the right, there are some BERKHAMPSTEAD. 121 old walls, called the Castle, the remains of an ancient edifice that once stood there. The train now crosses a small iron bridge over a lane; then an accommo¬ dation one to Lady Grimstone, whose mansion is observable to the right, situated at the top of a lawn, (which stretches down to the side of the railway) amidst rookery, gardens, and pleasure grounds. On the left, the town and its environs, the straggling cot¬ tages along the banks of that quiet canal, whose sleepy waters are now and then roused to a momentary drowsy activity by the sluggish motion of the boats as they pass by, drawn by the wretched animal, whose convulsive stumbling and struggling forward, to get away from the excruciating lash of its fierce and brutal tormentor, gives the vessel its onward motion: brutal torture is the circumstance, and agony the mo¬ tive. How different is it upon the iron road where, while we dash along with an eagle’s flight, we are pos¬ sessed of the delightful consciousness that pain is not the impulse by which that wondrous speed is attained— that no living being is a whit the worse for our enjoy¬ ment. In railway travelling, one of the most distinguishing traits is the magic celerity with which the different scenes are changed. At the moment we are gazing at the beauties of the delightful neighbourhood of Berkhampstead, the scene is suddenly shut out from our view, by the train plunging into a cutting through chalk with a few flints; and this grows “ deeper and deeper still,” until the reverberation produced by the engine entering an arch is heard, and immediately M 122 TRING STATION. we are in the darkness of North Church Tunnel, which is a quarter of a mile in length. On rushing into the daylight, we are at the top of an embankment; a valley lies to the left, with the canal just under us; to the right are some chalk hills, one of which is crowned by a grove. On looking backwards, a quan¬ tity of chalk, taken out of the tunnel in boring it, may be seen in a heap on the top of the hill, where it lies at spoil by the side of the shaft through which it was drawn out. Soon after this we enter a cutting through the chalk, at the end of which, to the right, the chalk may be seen peeping out under the hanks of the hedges and groves; to the left there is spread a num¬ ber of fine pastures, pleasingly undulated and well- wooded. A monument to the Earl of Bridgwater, situated at the village of Aldbury, to the right, may now be observed; and soon after we enter a cutting, and stop at the TRING STATION, From London 31f miles.—From Birmingham, 80J miles, which is one of the most elevated portions of the line, and to attain the summit of which we have come slightly up hill all the way from Watford. The former owner of the land on which the station now stands, asked so extravagant a price for it, that the directors determined to have the station at the far side of the cutting, which would have been three and a half miles from Tring. The inhabitants were much excited on the subject, and a town’s meeting being called, a deputation was appointed to wait on the Di- THING. 123 rectors to memorialize them on the subject. The Directors when waited on by the Deputation, stated the sum they could afford for the land; and explained, that the matter being important to the people of Tring, the Directors would willingly erect the station at the desired place, if the people of Tring would undertake to pay the difference between the price of the land, according to an equitable valuation, and that demanded by the owner of it. The parties agreed to this fair and business-like proposal; and then a high road from the town to the station was projected, and soon after¬ wards carried into effect with the most commendable public spirit; and the station now stands in the posi¬ tion most advantageous to the interests of Tring; and the omnibusses and coaches from the town to the sta¬ tion, have the advantage of a good road on which to ply backwards and forwards. The manufacturing and market town of Tring is two miles on the left of the line. It is supposed by some that the town was founded in the time of the Romans, and that the name, which was formerly Treung, is contracted from the Latin, and implied the triangular shape of the settlement, which was adjacent to the Roman Ikenield Way. In the time of Alfred, Tring was of sufficient importance to give its name to the hundred in which it is located; and Charles II chose it as the residence of his mistress, Nell Gwynn, and erected the Tring Park Mansion as an abode for her. Modern Tring is a highly industrious and thriving little town, in which farmers, manufacturers, and those employed by them, make up the sum of its 124 TRING. inhabitants, which is about 4000. The principal farming business consists of grazing sheep; much of the neighbouring pasturage, from the chalky nature of the soil, and the highland character of the district, being unsuited for other purposes. The manufactures con¬ sist of canvass weaving, a silk mill, and straw plaiting. There are four canvass manufactories in Tring, and upwards of one hundred persons are employed in them. The yarn is brought from Yorkshire, and wove by hand-looms; the first process is performed by boys; it consists in winding the yarn from the hand upon the spools, these are then taken to the warping mill, to be wound into large warps ready for the loom; it is then taken to the loom and woven by men. The work is not considered very hard, and the time of daily labour is from ten to twelve hours a day; the men get about sixteen shillings a week, the hoys about three. Mr. Cutler, the largest manufacturer in the town, keeps twenty looms at work, and employs forty per¬ sons, inclusive of men and boys. The Tring people claim to have commenced the canvass trade prior to any other town in England. The Silk Mill is in the occupancy and worked by David Evans Co., of Cheapside, London; it was started by Mr. Kay, in 1825, since then it has been much increased in size, and is now capable of em¬ ploying 500 pairs of hands, consisting of 40 men, 140 women, and 320 children. The number of hands in the mill is much less in summer than in winter, owing to the agricultural employment that is then afforded; this does not result from any superiority of wages, hut TRING. 125 from the natural desire to be in the open fields, and the aversion to monotonous and sedentary occupation, care and restraint. The superintendants get a pound a week; the general run of the men’s wages is between twelve and fifteen shillings a week; the average of women’s wages is five shillings and six-pence a week, and of children three shillings; the time of the latter is regulated by Act of Parliament to ten hours a day, the adults work twelve. There is much difficulty in obtaining an inspection of the mill, in consequence of the jealousy resultant from competition; advantages having been taken by parties engaged in the trade, to convey a knowledge of the arrangements and mechanism to other manu¬ facturers, an admission card from the proprietors is now required to be produced, prior to being shewn through the rooms. The silk is imported from Italy, China, and Bengal, in the skeins, and undergoes in this mill the various operations, called winding, dou¬ bling, spinning, &c., which are all performed by the agency of machinery. There is a steam engine of twenty-five horse power, which is one of so beautiful a construction, is fitted up so elegantly, and taken so much care of, as to elicit from any one who sees it the warmest expressions of admiration. The stairs of the engine room are covered with oil-cloth, and the room evinces the superintendence of a man of refine¬ ment and mechanical taste. The engine is appropri¬ ately called Venus, and was constructed at the manu¬ factory of Peel, Williams, and Peel, Manchester. There is also water power equal to that of sixteen horses. m 2 126 TRING. By the side of the mill is the temporary residence of the proprietor, with a conservatory, and an exten¬ sive fish pool, the rather stagnant nature of which must give rise to much of pernicious effluvia; and consider¬ ing that Tring is seldom or never without ague, and as the malaria is generally found to result from pools of this character, several of which are in the vicinity, it is to he hoped that, ere long, the proprietors of these sources of pestilence will evince sufficient morality and intelligence to compel the removal of a nuisance so highly dangerous to all the neighbourhood; actually fatal to some, and deeply injurious to the lives and happiness of many innocent people. In the mill there are almost always persons whose haggard looks evince their having lately been afflicted with this terrible disease, evidently consequential to being employed in a building through which there must, despite all precaution, be continually circu¬ lating a portion of the vapour from the pool beneath; the adult patients look had enough; but the sight of the little children who have lately suffered, with their wretched countenances, death-like colour, and totter¬ ing frames, cannot hut make the heart of any humane person burn with the keenest anguish. The proprie¬ tors of the mill pay Mr. Dewsbury, Surgeon, of Tring, 20/. a year for inspecting the persons employed in the mill, to insure cleanliness and freedom from disease: after this evidence, we must not attribute the presence of the injurious marsh to a want of feeling in the pro¬ prietors, but rather to a want of information on the subject. TRING. 127 The silk, when it has undergone the various mill operations, is forwarded to the London and Manches¬ ter markets, and some is sent to Coventry to supply the ribbon weavers there. The temperature of the mill is about 60 °, and the people employed, though pallid enough, present rather a better aspect on the whole than those in the mills of Manchester, but still they are far from appearing to he a healthy and happy people; the children, in parti¬ cular, appear doleful and dejected; some of them have a precocity of visage that is absolutely startling. They are taught to sing hymns as they work, and when a stranger comes, to affect a semblance of sanctity, and sing out with unusual energy; it would, perhaps, be a wise reform to do away with this schooling in hypo¬ crisy ; and peradventure it might be found that music of a livelier character would have a more stimulating and beneficial influence upon the nerves and general health of these poor innocents. At the west end of the mill is the residence of Mr. Rowbotham, the superintendent of the works, whose abilities in the performance of his functions are attested by the superior order in which the machinery is kept, the precision with which the arrangements instituted in the mill are conducted, and the regularity with which the whole of the business is executed. The straw plait affords employment to a wide circle of the population, and being an operation that can be performed almost anywhere, it does not interfere so much with the liberty of the people, and from not im¬ posing much restraint is preferable to the work of the 128 TRING. mill; on a fine summer’s day, numbers of women and children may be seen at tlieir cottage doors, walking in the street, or sitting on the green sward in the neigh¬ bouring fields, with the straw plaiting going on in their hands, and at the same time enjoying the open atmos¬ phere of nature, and the freedom of conversation, in a similar way to that in which, in Wales, the women and girls may often be observed in the open air en¬ gaged in the operation of knitting. The farther man¬ ufacture of the plait into bonnets is carried on to some extent in the town. Tring has increased its inhabitants so much lately, that at the present time, owing to the demand for houses, it holds out a highly alluring and eligible investment for capital, in buildings suitable for the middle and lower classes of industrious people. The general health in Tring, with the exception of the affliction of ague, is excellent: it is noticed by the towns-people that when the wind blows from the north east, the disease becomes prevalent; it is worthy of remark, that the stagnant pools referred to lie in that direction, and doubtless, the malaria arises from them; at all events, humanity dictates that the experiment of removing them should be tried as early as possible. Tring Park House has been reconstructed since the time of the merry monarch’s making it the abode of his favourite mistress; it is now the property of Mr. Kay, late silk manufacturer, of Manchester, and origi¬ nator of the manufacture in Tring, but in the occu¬ pancy of T. Hankey, Esq. The park affords a plea¬ sant walk to the inhabitants, being, though small. AYLESBURY. 129 particularly beautiful; it is ornamented with woods and groves, and is possessed of the usual appendage to such an establishment, a rookery. The market is held on Friday, for the sale of corn, straw plait, pedlery, &c.; and the cattle fairs are held on Easter Monday and Old Michaelmas day. The village of Aldbury is about three quarters of a mile on the right of the station; and the small town of IVinghoe is delightfully situated amidst the hills about three miles off. At a greater distance to the right are the towns of Dunstable and Luton, so celebrated for the manu¬ facture of straw plait and bonnets. On leaving the station we pass beneath a bridge, over which runs the road up to Aldbury, and then enter a deep cutting through chalk without flint; streams of water from the springs issuing from the strata, flow through the cutting at each side of the rail¬ way. There are three three-arched bridges and one single arched one over the cutting, which is the most extensive on the line, being nearly two and a half miles long, and in some places sixty feet deep. On coming through the cutting we have crossed the ima¬ ginary line, which divides the counties of Hertford¬ shire and Buckinghamshire, leaving the former and entering the latter; the line then crosses the vale of Aylesbury by an embankment, from which, on look¬ ing backwards, a stupendous view of the chalk hills, the barrenness of which contrasts with the fertility of the valley,may be obtained; on taking this backward glance, on the right may be seen the town of Ivinghoe 130 AYLESBURY, amid the hills. On the left, the escarpment of the west end hill presents itself, in which a number of terraces, such as are formed by the action of water on the shore of a lake or sea may be seen, of which the following engraving will give some idea. These terraces indicate not only the action of water, but its retirement at successive epochs, either from the upheaving of the land by igneous causes, or by the evacuation of the waters at some equally regu¬ lar intervals. What wonders does geology unfold ! where the valley that we are crossing now exists, there once rolled the sweeping waters of a lake or sea, the surges of which were employed in excavating those terraces, which now, after the land has for indefinable AYLESBURY. 131 ages been raised from the watery womb, bears testi¬ mony of the most unequivocal character of the origin from which it has sprung—of the combination of cir¬ cumstances by which it was produced. At the end of the embankment w r e enter a cutting through a hillock of clay, and passing Cheddington Church, which is close on the left, dash beneath the bridge which is hard by, and are again upon an em¬ bankment, from which Eddlesborough Church may be observed to the right, standing on a slight ascent under the hills; and on the left we come to where the Aylesbury Junction Railway is intended to join the line. Aylesbury is a borough, market, and county towm in Buckinghamshire, and contains about 5000 inha¬ bitants ; it is situated in an extensive and delightful valley, extending from Thame in Oxfordshire, to Leighton in Bedfordshire. The only manufacture is ' that of bone lace, which has latterly much decreased : rabbits and ducks are bred in great quantities for the London markets. There are three Newspapers pub¬ lished here—two Whig and one Tory. We are now close to the village of Horton ,which is on the right side, just under the line, amidst gardens, orchards, and rich pasturage : after which the railway is formed in a cutting through blue clay; and then we come on an embankment, by the side of which may be seen some pits, from which have been taken the material for making the embankment; after this, we pass through a small cutting, and then find our¬ selves again upon an embankment, from which another view of the delightful vale of Aylesbury is obtained. 132 LEIGHTON BUZZARD. LEIGHTON BUZZARD. with the tall spire of Leighton Buzzard rising from amidst the trees to the right of the line. We pre¬ sently cross a small bridge over a streamlet, and then the charms of the scene become more exquisite : the canal runs near the line, with its white rails and white lock-house; the beautiful verdure of the valley; the busy wind-mills on the neighbouring summits; the bleak chalk hills are in the distance on the south and south-east; and on the west the landscape is made up of luxuriant fields and groves; but in human affairs ■t LEIGHTON BUZZARD TUNNEL. LEIGHTON BUZZARD STATION. 133 there is almost always some drawback, some poison mixed in the cup of happiness; and in the present instance the human heart will find all its feelings of delight and admiration suddenly crushed by the sight of one of those modern prisonlike workhouses, which stands so conspicuously in the distance to the right of the line. Surely this great heavy-looking building, suggesting as it must to every benevolent mind so many painful associations, might have been built out of sight; its present position seems as though it had been selected out of a pure spirit of bravado, or reck¬ lessness of public feeling. The train here crosses a small bridge over a lane leading to Leighton Buzzard, and then enters a cutting, from which we pass on to an embankment, and cross a bridge over the Aylesbury road, when, leaving some gardens on the right, we presently arrive at the LEIGHTON BUZZARD STATION, From London, 41 miles—From Birmingham 71§ miles. Leighton Buzzard is a market and manufactur¬ ing town, but principally celebrated for its fairs, of which there are seven in the year. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Ouse, and is considered to be of ancient origin, some maintaining it to he the Lygean burgh of the Saxon chronicle, which was taken from the ancient Britons in 571 by Cuthwulph, the brother of Ceawlin, King of Wessex. This is said to he con¬ tracted into Leighton; and Buzzard is maintained to be a contraction from Beau desert . In the market place stands a very old Gothic market cross, at which, N 134 WOBURN ABBEY. in the olden times, the good Catholics were wont to shew their preference of public, ostentation to private and closetted adoration. This building is pentagonal, and is ornamented with a virgin and child, a St.John, and a variety of devils heads: it measures thirty-four feet from the top to the ground. In most of the im¬ proved towns, these old market crosses, which are mere relics of superstition, have been swept away by the march of intellect and utilitarianism, and their places been usurped by good and large cast metal lamp posts, from the top of which the effulgent lumi¬ nary, gas, pours forth its brilliant rays to banish the darkness of night: this change, if we may be allowed to use a pun, is certainly in favour of enlightenment. The Grand Junction Canal runs through the town, and a considerable trade is carried on in lime, iron, timber, bricks, corn, cattle, &c. Some of the female inhabitants are employed in making straw plait, and others in the manufacture of lace. Woburn Abbey, the splendid seat of the Duke of Bedford , is six miles from the Leighton Buzzard Sta¬ tion on the right side of the line. This extensive and magnificent building is quadrangular in shape, the principal front faces the west, and is of Ionic order. The interior is fitted up in a style of the costliest gran¬ deur and most refined taste. There is a library of an extensive nature, and the apartments are ornamented with paintings by the old masters. The park is well stocked with deer, and surrounded by a wall twelve miles in circumference. Immediately after leaving the Leighton Station the LINSLADE. 135 train enters the Linslade Tunnel, which is cut through the blue clay, and iron sand : it is 284 yards in length, and curves rather to the left, and is ventillated by one shaft: at the end there is a deep cutting through the iron sand rock, which stands in steep yellow walls, forty feet high, at each side of the line. Just after¬ wards a bridge crosses the line, over which is the road from Leighton to Stoke Hammond; and then we may obtain, on the right, a momentary glimpse of a scene the most striking of any on the line; it consists of a valley bordered by hills and cliffs of the yellow sand rock, round the side of which winds the canal; at the bottom is a streamlet bordered by willows; the whole well wooded, and the distant hill tops crowned by a dark heath. The bright appearance of the sand rock has a peculiar effect, and gives the whole scene a pa¬ noramic appearance that cannot hut attract attention. About a quarter of a mile beyond the tunnel is the village of Linslade; the church, and the mansion of Mr. Morris standing at the distance of a field on the right of the line. Soon after passing Linslade, the line enters a deep cutting through the sand; on leaving which, we cross a valley by an embankment, a wdld, hut highly beautiful view presenting itself upon the right. Around the side of the valley winds the canal, and along the bottom a streamlet; the uplands at the other side of the valley crowned by the dark heath, furze, and fern of the Leighton Common, the sand rock peeping out under the banks, and the more distant scene closed by woods. 136 CHALK AND GREEN SAND FORMATIONS. This ferruginous sand rock is the last of a system of rocks, a portion of which we have seen since leaving the London clay; it is called the cretaceous system, from the chalk being the most prominent feature of it. In the older strata, formations of lime, of clay, and of sand, are found so associated together, as to constitute assemblages of rocks; the which have been classed together by geologists into what they term systems of strata; and these are named, as in the present instance, from some very distinguishing characteristic. The cretaceous system is divided into two formations, each of which is about six hundred feet thick: one (the upper) is called the chalk formation, and the other (the lower) the green sand formation. The following is the order of their superposition : Chalk Formation .—Upper chalk, a mixture of chalk and marl, or a soft white mass of chalk, with chert nodules at regular intervals. Middle chalk, on the line, contains a vast quantity of flints, which appear in it like black spots and layers. Lower chalk is harder, less white than the upper and middle; it contains few flints, and sometimes is distinguished by green spots in it: in the north of England it is quite red. Green Sand Formation .—Upper green sand con¬ sists of sands of a green, grey, or white colour, occa¬ sionally chalky and hardened. Golt, a soft blue clay, interspersed with green grains. Lower green sand, sometimes green, and often, as on the line, ferruginous and yellow. It is this last mentioned yellow iron sand which con- FENNY STRATFORD. 137 stitutes the lowest portion of the green sand formation, and of the cretaceous system, that gives to this portion of the line its peculiar characteristic, which strikes us so much, particularly in the valley on the right on coming from he Linslade tunnel. It is supposed by some philosophers that lime is an ingredient produced by the agency of animal life; and that every particle of these immense masses formed, at some past period f the earth’s geological histo¬ ry, a portion of some living being, by the chemical agency of whose organization it had been either com¬ pounded from simpler elements, or extracted from combinations, in which its nature was lost; certain it is, that a principal constituent of all animal organiza¬ tion is lime; it is, indeed, the main ingredient of the hones, shelly coverings, &c. of living beings, and most of the lime formations, on examination, are found to he a mass of organic remains, consisting of shells, teeth of animals, bones, &c. The period at which this cre¬ taceous system wa being formed, was anterior to the existence of the mammalia, the remains of such ani¬ mals (which are abundant in the tertiary stra a,) being unknown in those beneath. In the cretaceous system, the plants and animals, the remains of which are found, were of a marine nature, consisting of rep¬ tiles, shell fish, sponges, marine plants, &c. On crossing the valley, we enter a cutting in which the blue clay again comes up; and soon afterwards the village of Stoke Hammond is observable to the right, and the villages of Great and Little Brickhill beyond it. 138 FENNY STRATFORD. After some cuttings through the blue clay, and a long embankment, Bletchley Church is observable to the left, and Fenny Stratford, in the valley, to the right. Fenny Stratford is a village situated on a slight ascent, the London and Warwick road running through it, and the forty-fourth mile stone from Lon¬ don standing at the edge of the village. The canal runs at the lower side of it; and at the bottom of the valley is a brook called the Old River. One would suppose from the name, that there is some fen or peat land in in the neighbourhood; there is, however, none now, though in ancient times there might have been an ex¬ tensive marsh from the overflowing of the brook. To the east of the village there is a hill, the top of which is a moor; the valley of Fenny Stratford is exceed¬ ingly fertile, and the neighbourhood delightfully pic¬ turesque. This village was temporarily depopulated by the plague in 1665. The high road from London passes from Fenny Stratford under the line up the hill to the left towards Stony Stratford, at a place called Denbigh Hall, which name leads most people to expect an elegant mansion, park, &c.; this expectation ends in disaj)- pointment; for the traveller, on enquiring where is Denbigh Hall, has pointed out to him a mean looking beer shop, situated by the side of the bridge by which the line crosses the road. This beer shop had its cus¬ tom so much increased during the progress of the works, from the number of ever thirsty men that were working in the neighbourhood, that the owner found it to his advantage to open nearly all the rooms in his ROAD BRIDGE, NEAR FENNY STRATFORD. FENNY STRATFORD. 139 house for the use of his customers, who consisted prin¬ cipally of that class of men called navies or navigators, and in some places banksmen or hankers, from being generally employed in making canals, and the hanks and drains in the fen counties. These constitute a race of Englishmen almost as distinct from the rest of their countrymen as the gypsies; and from their prsedatory habits, have been termed by the talented author of “The History of the Railway,” banditti; they are men of perhaps, the finest physical structure, and most daring courage to be found in any part of the globe; and to this is superadded a cunning, which is as much a general characteristic to this race as shrewdness is that of Scotchmen, and wit that of Irishmen. The author above referred to, tells an anecdote, which, giving as it does, an excellent illustration of charac¬ ter, we shall take the liberty of quoting it. “A navigator engaged on the Berks well contract, about ten miles from Birmingham, went one day into a village public house, and made the enquiry, ‘Have you got any gin ?’ laying great stress on the word you; the landlord quickly responded that he had plenty, ‘Oh,’ said the navigator, ‘ I am glad of that, I have been to the other public house and broke him of all he had, I wanted two gallons and he had only got one, so I have had to come here for the other one.’ The gallon was quickly measured out, and put into that which he had before in the bottle. He was then very coolly walking out of the shop; mine host, however, soon reminded him that there was a little process to go through which appeared to have escaped his observation—namely. 140 LOUGHTON. the paying for the gin. To this the ‘Navie’ shrugged up his shoulders, and said he would pay on Saturday night; Boniface, however, was not to he had quite so easy, and the gallon measure was quickly refilled again out of the f Navies’ bottle, and he departed looking very indignant at not being trusted till his pay-night. It only remains to inform the reader, that what he had originally in the bottle was a gallon of water—not a gallon of gin—and consequently his ingenuity was rewarded by his getting clear off with half a gallon of ‘mine host’s best cream of the valley,’ in a state quite ready for drinking.” Prior to the completion of the middle portion of the railway, there was a temporary station erected at Den¬ bigh Hall, and the passengers were forwarded from thence on coaches and omnibusses to the Rugby Sta¬ tion; the temporary wooden erection is now entirely removed, and the train dashes by its site, elevated on an embankment, from which a wide survey of the sur¬ rounding country may be taken; to the right, Brick- hill with its church is conspicuous on the hill top, and to the left a long view of the road up towards Stony Stratford may be taken. Immediately after crossing the road, we enter a cutting through blue clay, containing chalk-pebbles, belemnites, and a few flints; over the cutting there is a three-arched bridge, after which we come to some table land, and the village of Loughton may be seen to the left; we then come upon an embankment, from which, south of Loughton, is to be seen Shenley Church. The line here passes through a series of LOUGHTON BRIDGE, NEAR WOLVERTON WOLVERTON STATION*.;." ^ . 141 * . « o * • cuttings, through the blue clay, in leaking* whi£*h«,w.aSfe numbers of fossils were found, prifigiMlVepnsisting ot gryphaea and ammonites. * t .*• . On the right is the village and church of Rr&dv ° • •* well, and close to the line is a cpiarry, from which materials have been taken to construct the neighbour¬ ing embankments; in this the blue clay may be seen resting on the oolite limestone, which appears of a yellowish colour, having been exposed to the weather, but is blue when first broken; it is of a very hard texture, and has been used for building the Neighbour¬ ing bridge. Just after this, the train stops at the grand central depot of the company, WOLVERTON STATION. From London miles.—From Birmingham 59| miles. This Station is an extensive establishment, and will probably give rise to the formation of a new town; the engine house, which is 112 yards square, is on the left, and the booking offices on the right side; upwards of fifty cottages belonging to the servants of the com¬ pany have already sprung into existence. A stall at which confectionary is sold, is permitted at this sta¬ tion. Just beyond the station, the road from Newport Pagnell to Stony Stratford is crossed by a bridge, from vhich, on the left, towards Stony Stratford, Wolverton Church is observable amidst the trees, about half a mile off. Stony Stratford is a mar¬ ket town in Bucks, two miles on the left of the sta¬ tion ; it consists principally of one street, situated on the parliamentary road from London to Birmingham, . • V. •/•BUCKINGHAM. Hbjyhfcad, Chest&r, and Liverpool, and contains about \ \ 170*0 inhabitants* • The name is supposed to be derived 'fipijj £To„r{[die Ouse, anciently situated about here. to the great thoroughfare, there is considerable I traffic carried on; but the only manufacture is that of bone lace: the market is held on Friday, and there are several fairs in the year. Buckingham, ten miles and a half on the left, is a borough and market town of considerable antiquity; the present name is Saxon, buck , signifying a stag, ing a meadow, and ham a village; the neighbourhood was in ancient times celebrated for its forests and deer. This town suffered much from the incursions of the Danes, and the remains of walls erected on the sides of the Ouse by Edward the Elder, to protect the in¬ habitants from these depredations, are still distinguish¬ able. In 1724, a dreadful fire took place in the town, by which several streets were burnt down: many of these houses are not yet rebuilt. The town stands on a peninsula formed by the river Ouse; it nearly encircling the town, constituted in former days a natural moat; there are several bridges, two of which are of very ancient date. The lace trade formerly employed the inhabitants to a con¬ siderable extent; but this has been much limited by the improvements in machinery that have taken place at Nottingham. There is a general market held on Saturday, and one exclusively for calves on Monday. Fairs, chiefly for the sale of cattle, are held on old New Year’s Day, the last Monday in January, March the 7th, the second Monday in April, May the 6th, TINGEWICK. 143 Whit Thursday, July 10th, Sept. 4th, Oct. 2nd, Sa¬ turday after old Michaelmas Day, Nov. 8th, and Dec. 13th. Buckingham gives the title of Duke to the family of Grenville. At a few miles distance, northward from the town, beyond Stowe, is Tingewick, the seat of the Duke of Buckingham and Marquis of Chandos , celebrated for its costly splendour and magnificence: at a distance the visitor is led to anticipate much, from the number of towers, columns, obelisks, &c., which rise above the foliage ; and on arriving, there is so much of gran¬ deur, beauty, and taste exhibited, that the description would be adequate to fill volumes. The grounds are ornamented by temples, pavilions, arches, grottos, gardens, statues, and groves; the mansion, which is situated on a sloping lawn, faces the south, its front consisting of a centre connected by colonnades to two pavillion wings ; a projecting pediment, supported by Corinthian columns, is at the entrance; and from this down to the lawn is a flight of magnificent steps, at the bottom of which are two large stone lions. The interior vies with the exterior in all that is superb: the saloon, the halls, the drawing-rooms, music-room, library, state galleries, state bed-chambers, state closets, &c., are all of a character equal to the rest of this princely establishment. Four and a half miles to the right is the town of Newport Pagnell, one of the largest in Bucking¬ hamshire ; it is situated on a slight eminence, and the main street is well built, but deficient with respect to a good pavement and lighting. The river Levet runs 144 NEWPORT PAGNELL. through the town, and supplies it with water. The addition of the name Pagnell results from a distin¬ guished family of baronial chiefs, who anciently lorded it over the manor. The manufacture of bone lace used to give considerable occupation to the inhabitants of this town; but the competition of Nottingham ma¬ chinery has caused the trade to decline: the manu¬ facture of paper gives a good deal of employment. Annual races were re-established here, after an inter¬ mission of forty years, in 1827, and are now regularly held every August. The market for bone lace is on Wednesday,and a common market on Saturday: six fairs are held here in the course of the year. The reform bill has made Newport Pagnell a polling place for the county of Bucks. Just after the train has crossed the bridge over the road, we arrive upon the great viaduct over the Ouse, which consists of six large central arches, and three small terminal ones at each side, making in all twelve arches. To the left, the canal carried over the Ouse on a viaduct, and across the valley on a high embankment, may now and then be seen ; and in the intermediate fields, which are flat, the Ouse winds along in various directions, fringed in part with aged willows. A little onward, on the same side, the village of Cosgrove stands upon a hill, the church visible above the trees. On the right side, the tall spire of Hanslope Church, situated on a high eminence, is particularly conspi¬ cuous in the onward distance. The valley of the Ouse being crossed by a high WOLVERTON VIADUCT. HANSLOPE. 145 embankment, we enter the CastlethorpCutting through the oolitic limestone, and then find ourselves upon another embankment over a wide valley, with the spire of Grafton visible on the hill, towards the left, and Hanslope Church standing conspicuous to the right; the valley is of a luxuriant nature, consisting of pastures filled with cattle, rich corn fields, and here and there a farm house, with its orchard and other rural appendages. Hanslope is principally cele¬ brated for its high spire, which is observable for miles throughout the surrounding country; this steeple was thrown down by lightning in 1804, on a Sunday evening in June; fortunately the church was empty, and no lives were lost: the spire has been rebuilt in the original form. The great pugilistic contest between Simon Byrne and Sandy M/Kay, the Scottish giant, in which the latter was slain, took place in this neighbourhood, and the remains of the unfortunate Scot were interred in the churchyard. At the head of the grave, which is of gigantic proportion, is a stone with the following in¬ scription and epitaph :— SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ALEX. M‘KAY, (LATE OF GLASGOW,) WHO DIED 3RD OF JUNE, 1834, AGED 26 YEARS. Strong and athletic was my frame; Far from my native home I came, And manly fought with Simon Byrne; Alas! but lived not to return. O HANSLOPE. 14t> Reader! take warning by my fate, Lest you should rue your case too late : If you have ever fought before, Determine now to fight no more. Byrne was killed fighting soon afterwards; so that both these men lost their lives in making a gladiato¬ rial show, for the amusement of the English aristo¬ cracy, who are the patrons and supply the pecuniary motive, the prize, for the winner; and a mob, that has been brutalized by such influences. The Roman savagery, however horrific and monstrous it might have been, had something of grandeur in it; our pugilism is mere vulgar brutish ruffianism of the lowest and most disgusting character. The demo¬ ralizing show of the ancients is thus described by our great modern poet: I see before me the Gladiator lie : He leans upon his hand—his manly brow Consents to death, but conquers agony, And his droop’d head sinks gradually low— And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one, Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now The arena swims around him—he is gone, Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail’d the wretch who won. In the parish of Hanslope there were formerly many small farmers, but these have latterly almost disappeared, in consequence of the competition for land by a more wealthy class of men, into whose hands the lands in this neighbourhood have, for the HANSLOPE. 147 most part, latterly fallen, the old small farms being united into larger ones. The ruins of old farm houses, in which, in the small farm times, industrious and res¬ pectable families used to live a life of health and hap¬ piness, may be observed from the line; these remnants are sad testimonials of the social condition of our country, and few can see them without having the ques¬ tion suggested—Where are they gone by whose care the now damp and wretched ruin was made a comfortable and delightful abode, covered with the ivy, the rose, the woodbine, and the moss, and surrounded by bloom¬ ing gardens and orchards P Some have been forced on the records of pauperism, and others on those of crime; some have changed the healthy agricultural pursuits of the country for the unhealthy ones of the town ; and some have sought in the far-off wilds of America, a more fostering country and a more comfortable home than their native land could afford them. After passing Hanslope, Mr. Clarkes farm house may be seen to the right, just by which is a bridge crossing a cutting; at the end of the latter we come upon an embankment, and then enter another cutting, at the termination of which is the steep Ashton Em¬ bankment, crossing a fertile valley, from which, on the left, Stoke Park and House, and in the distance, the spire of Stoke Bruern Church, may be seen. On the right Salcey Forest is observable in the dis¬ tance; and looking backwards Hanslope Church is still conspicuous. We are now in Northamptonshire; and at the end of the embankment, which is in places 148 ASHTON ASHTON. upwards of 40 feet high, the line passes through the village of Ashton, which is divided by it. From the embankment we can look down on the thatched cottages, of which the village is composed, and the humble church on the left; and while the traveller securely rolls with a delightful velocity, by which he has passed through whole counties in the short space of a few hours, little does he think of the sacrifice of life and happiness that was made in the attainment of the means for his present rapid course. The bridge, under which is the road communicating the two parts of the village, has been, during the pro¬ gress of the works, the scene of several calamitous ac¬ cidents, in bringing down the stone and clay from the ASHTON. 149 Blisworth Cutting in trains, for the construction of the embankment. At dinner time the men used to ride down from the Blisworth works on the loaded trains, and if a waggon slipped from the rails, its con¬ tents of stone and workmen would be precipitated in a heterogeneous mass upon the ground, when, of course, the most rueful consequences resulted. An instance of this kind happened at the time when the editor of this work was engaged in collecting matter to form its contents, which was strikingly illustrative of the recklessness of life and daring hardihood of the British labourer. A few days prior, a severe accident, accompanied with loss of life, had occurred in this place; yet, nothing daunted, the men, instead of walk¬ ing to their dinner, came riding down on the trains. A similar catastrophe was the result; several waggons were thrown off the rails; one man was completely buried under the masses of limestone, and several partly so. One stalwart navigator disencumbered himself from the heap, and feeling his arm, said, addressing a more fortunate comrade, “Its broke, by G—d ! I muii go home.” He waited for a short time to ascertain the amount of evil inflicted on his fellow-sufferers, and then supporting his broken arm with his sound one, accompanied by a friend, strode off homewards: his cottage was six miles off! A fine, handsome youth, who had his foot pulverised into a shapeless mass of flesh and bone, bore his fate with less fortitude, and cried bitterly. A rough-looking fellow, who stood by, and seemed to be a sort of foreman among the workmen, took his pipe from his mouth, spat out, and o 2 150 ROADE STATION. in a blunt advising tone said, addressing the boy, “Cry¬ ing i’ll do thee no good, lad; thou’dst better have it cut off from above the knee!” A number of the village women came upon the bank, each evincing a great desire to touch with their fingers the mangled limb. The man who was buried under the heap, on being taken out, asked for a little cold water, and soon shewed symptoms of internal bleeding, that gave the bystanders the conviction that his organization was incapacitated to sustain life much longer. In the course of a quarter of an hour, a cart was obtained to convey these two poor victims to a neighbouring hos¬ pital. On leaving Ashton, the train enters a cutting, over which are some bridges built of the oolite limestone ; one is pre-eminent for architectural character, and has been called Victoria Bridge : soon after which is the ROADE STATION. From London 60 miles.—From Birmingham 52§ miles. Roade is a village containing about 600 inhabi¬ tants, situated on the right of the railway, just before entering the great Blisworth Cutting. It is five miles from Northampton, on the road to Buckingham, and is used by some as a station for Northampton. The train now enters the great Blisworth Cut¬ ting, through the oolitic ridge or summit. The oolitic system is divided into three great groups of rocks; the upper called the wealden formation, the middle called the oolitic, and the lower called the lias. Each of these formations contains numerous layers, and extends over BLISWORTH CUTTING. 151 a wide range of country. They are replete with the organic forms worn by living nature in bygone ages; which, after they had performed their various living functions, were deposited upon the earth,—thus enlarg¬ ing it for the use of other beings. During the period of the formation of the oolitic deposition, the matter of which it is composed appeared in many forms of life: the land was thickly covered with vegetation, re¬ sembling that incidental to the hottest climes; at the close of the lives of these vegetable forms a vast quantity of them were buried in a heap, which ac¬ cumulated during successive seasons, and is now by chemical agency changed into thin beds of coal. The seas at the time referred to were haunted by a huge animal partly fish and partly lizard, and hence called the ichthyosaurus, a giant monster sometimes reaching 30 feet in length ; its huge jaws are suffi¬ ciently indicative of its destructiveness, but, on break¬ ing its stony structure, in the bowels may be seen the fossil remnants of fishes it had swallowed. Another creature, the remains of which form part of this system, resembled the notion we have of a dragon, being a sort of Hying lizard; it is called the pterodactyl us, and together with a variety of strange insects, infested the atmosphere; while upon the surface of the waters swam the plesiosaurus, a huge reptile, bearing in shape, a re¬ mote resemblance to a swan. Among the multitude of organic remains the shell fish appear to predominate, the ammonites and grypheea are very common. At Stonesfield there have been found a few forms o( mam¬ malia, resembling the marsupial animals, which are 152 BLISWORTH CUTTING. considered the earliest types of the class of which man is now the head. The Blisworth Cutting through the limestone and clays, is not only one of the largest on the line, but, from the hardness of the stone and other circumstances, proved one of the most difficult of the works; upwards of one million cubic yards of matter had to be cut away, about one third of which consisted of a limestone which is as hard in its texture as flint: the cutting is a mile and a half long, and 55 feet in its greatest depth. The layer of stone in some places not coming down to the level of the line, retaining walls have been erected at the sides against the layer of clay, on which the stone rests, which prevents the clay from being bulged out on the railway by the superincumbent mass. This work has occupied a period of three years, and will for some time require the presence of workmen ; the contractor, after the labour of a year and a half, was obliged to give up the contract, and the company found it ex¬ pedient to direct the best intellect and greatest amount of physical force that could be procured to the un¬ dertaking. A regular army, upwards of 800 strong, and consisting of stone masons, miners, labourers, boys, &c., headed by experienced engineers, and aided by steam and horse power, with “ all appliances and means to boot,” were brought up to the attack. One of the most striking features of the w 7 ork w r as that of blasting the rock. This operation is performed by first boring several holes into the stone; when this is done a fuse is inserted into each hole; they are then partly filled w ith gunpowder, and their mouths stopped BLISWORTH CUTTING. 153 up firmly; the fuses are then lighted, and the signal be¬ ing given, the men withdraw till the explosion has taken place: upwards of twenty-five barrels of gunpowder were consumed weekly for this purpose. The blasting of the rock sounded like a continued firing of mixed arms; there were heard sounds like the heavy boom of the cannon, the sharp crack of the rifle, and the report of the musket and the pistol; before each explosion, on the signal-cry, fire ! the men were seen bustling away to a safe distance, or screening themselves behind pro¬ jecting portions of the rock; as soon as it had taken place, the clatter of falling stones disrupted from the mass might be heard, when the labourers hastily return¬ ed to their position, and resumed their arduous work. Up the precipitous sides of the cutting were nu¬ merous runs, as they are technically called, com¬ posed of wood planks, up and down which numerous waggons and barrows were plied, to remove the earth and stone from the cutting, to heaps on the tops of the precipices, where it is left in what is called spoil banks; the waggons were worked by horse power, applied with suitable machinery, and the barrows were wheeled up and down by stout young men, round each of whose waists were fixed strong belts, attached to which was a rope that went up the side of the cut¬ ting along the run, and having turned on a wheel, was fastened at the extremity remote to the man to a horse in the field above the cutting; this animal, when the signal was given, was led into the field a certain distance, and thus drew the man up the accli¬ vity, wheeling before him a barrow loaded with stone 154 BLISWORTH CUTTING. or clay; this was speedily emptied on arriving at the top; and then the man gallopped down the run, drawing the empty harrow behind him : the appear¬ ance of this process of wheeling barrows up and down a nearly perpendicular plane, was singularly strik¬ ing to those who were strangers to railway feats. A stationary steam engine was kept constantly at work, pumping out the water from the cutting; and numer¬ ous locomotives were ever plying backwards and for¬ wards, taking trains loaded with the matter excavated from the cutting to the neighbouring embankment, where the blocks of stone and masses of clay were tumbled down for the purpose of forming the mound, and bringing back the empty waggons to he reloaded. The neighbouring villages were inadequate to give lodgings to the men employed in the works, and a temporary village, consisting of several rows of houses, built of the limestone from the cutting, were erected: one of these rows contained sixty houses. The Blis- worth Cutting cost the company 130,000/. in addition to the original estimate. During the progress of the works, many geologists were attracted to the place in quest of fossils; the or¬ ganic forms must have been in a great measure obli¬ terated, but nevertheless, much of the stone was in the form of shells, and at the top, where the superin¬ cumbent pressure was not so great, the original forms were retained by the animal bodies, and the stone was often found in the shape of fossil reptiles; many good specimens were procured for private and public mu¬ seums. BLISWORTH STATION. 155 On leaving the cutting, a noble scene presents itself; the view to the north is bounded by the distant hills, and the intermediate valley gently undulated and filled with pastures and cornfields; the spire of the village of Milton rises to the right; and straight before us on the top of a slight acclivity, is Gayton. Blisworth to the left is soon shown standing by the canal, and just by the bridge under which passes the road from Northampton to Towcester, we stop at the BLISWORTH STATION. From London, 63^ miles—From Birmingham 49 miles. Blisworth, a small village containing about 800 inhabitants, stands on the banks of the Grand Junction Canal, and is about equidistant between Towcester and Northampton. Northampton, four miles to the right of the station, a borough, market, manufac¬ turing, and county town, containing 15,351 inhabit¬ ants, is a place of considerable antiquity and import¬ ance, situated on the north side of the river Nine or Nene; the name is Saxon, and having been adopted for the shire in the time of Alfred, shows that at that period this town was the most important in the county. Many interesting events are connected with the his¬ tory of this town, in the earlier period of which it was frequently burnt by the Danes. In 1064 Earl Morcar with his Northumbrians took possession of it, mur¬ dered many of the inhabitants, burnt the houses and carried away thousands of cattle and numerous pri¬ soners. It was a considerable place in the reign of 156 NORTHAMPTON. Edward the Confessor, having at that time sixty bur¬ gesses in the King’s lordship. It was bestowed by the Norman Conqueror to Simon St. Liz, a noble Norman who founded a castle there ; the whole hun¬ dred of Falkely or Fawsley was included in the grant, and was then valued at 40/. a year; the latter was given to the said Simon St. Liz to provide shoes for his horses. In 1106 the Saxon Chronicle states that Robert Duke of Normandy had an interview here with his brother. King Henry I, to accommodate the quarrel then subsisting between them. In his 23rd year that monarch and his court kept the festival of Easter at Northampton, with all the pomp and grand¬ eur peculiar to that age; and in the 31st year of the same reign a parliament was held in this town, when the nobles swore fealty to the Empress Maud. In 1138 King Stephen summoned a council to meet him at Northampton, when all the Bishops, Abbots, and Barons of the realm attended, for the purpose of making promotions in the Church. In 1144 Stephen again held his court here. In the reign of Henry II. a council of the states was convened at Northampton, before whom Archbishop Becket was summoned to appear for not assenting to the celebrated statutes of Clarendon. The King of Scotland with the Scotch Bishops and Abbots attended this council; and the formation of this convention has been considered the model by which succeeding parliaments have been constituted. In the 10th year of his reign, John, having been offended with the citizens of London, commanded the exchequer to be removed to North- NORTHAMPTON. 157 ampton. Henry III. frequently made Northamp¬ ton his residence, and honoured it with particular marks of his favour. In the year 1279, on Good Friday, the Jews re¬ siding in this town crucified a Christian hoy; hut he survived their cruelty, and fifty of them were con¬ demned to be drawn at horses’ tails and hanged; which sentence was executed. In the preceding year 300 Jews suffered death here for clipping the coin. Edward I. frequently resided at Northampton, and on his death a parliament was once more held at Northampton to settle the ceremonial of his burial, and the marriage and coronation of his successor. In the reign of Edward III. several parliaments were held at Northampton. In 1460 Henry VI. made this the place of rendezvous for his forces, prior to the fierce and bloody battle which was fought between his forces and the Yorkists under the Earl of March, when Henry was defeated and taken prisoner. North¬ ampton was visited by Queen Elizabeth in 1563, and by King Charles I. in 1604. In 1637 it was ravaged by the plague, and in 1642 it was fortified by the parliamentary forces; some portion of the north¬ east works yet remain. Northampton is situated on a slight inclination, rising gently from the bank of the river Nene, and consists principally of two capacious streets, nearly a mile in length, which intersect one another at right angles. There are two stone bridges over the river and the town is a thoroughfare for various roads, Charles II. present¬ ed 1000 tons of timber and seven years’ chimney money p 158 TOWCESTER. towards repairing and beautifying All Saints Church; and a statue of that monarch was erected on the balus¬ trade of the splendid portico of that building. North¬ ampton formerly contained seven churches within its walls and two without, but the town was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1675, and it now contains only four parishes. The Church of St. Sepulchre is of a circular form, having a cupola in the centre supported by eight Norman pillars; it is supposed to have been built by the Knights Templars, from a model of that erected over the holy temple in Jerusalem. The Sessions House is a handsome building of the Corinthian order. The other buildings of note are the Shire Hall, the In¬ firmary, the County Gaol, built on the principle of Howard, the philanthropist, in 1793, the Town Gaol, a Theatre and many charitable foundations. About a mile and a quarter from the town on the London road is one of Queen Eleanor’s crosses. N orthampton gives the title of Earl to the family of Compton. The mar¬ ket place is an exceedingly good one and is used on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday ; the latter being the principal market day. Boots and shoes are the staple commodities of the trade. Fairs are held April 15, May 4, July 20, August 5 and 26, September 19, November 28, and December 19. The town cannot be seen from the line on account of the cutting. Towcester, a manufacturing and market town, containing 2671 inhabitants, four miles to the left of the Blisworth Station, was also in ancient times a place of considerable note. The name in Domesday book is written Toveceaster, signifying fortified city, on BUGBKOOKE. 159 the river Tove. Numbers of Roman coins have been dug up in the neighbourhood of the town; and on the north west side are traces of the moat, and ruins of a tower. About the year 921 a stone wall was raised round the town by the command of Edward, and remnants of this fortification are still to be observed. Towcester is situated on the London and Holyhead road, and constituted principally of one street. The manufactures consist of bobbin lace, boots and shoes, &c. The market is held on Tuesday, and cattle fairs on Shrove Tuesday, May 12, and Oct. 29; there is also one for hiring servants, on Oct. 10. Just after starting from the Blisworth Station the train crosses the Grand Junction Canal on a cast metal bridge, just beyond which the canal gives off a branch to Northampton. Several bridges and cuttings through the blue clay are passed, and then we come to Banbury Lane Gates ; after which is another cutting, and then an open view is disclosed,—the small hills to the left topped by groves, and the canal winding on the right; just beyond which amidst the trees is the village of Bug brooke, which presents a somewhat antique appearance, and would, doubtless, be an object of romantic interest to the imaginative traveller if it were not for the associations which its name suggests, always unpleasing to persons going to or coming from the World’s Emporium. The ful¬ some suggestions might be avoided and opposite ones produced by the substitution of the letter d for the g, which is so slight a literal alteration that it might easily be introduced. On turning to the left again, a On emerging from the tunnel, Weedon Beck lies on the left side of the line, and Road Weedon on the right: the line runs on a high embankment, and close to the right is the canal; in the hollow between the two is Weedon Church, which is completely thrown into the shade by its mercantile rivals : close on the left are the Barracks, the line running along the side of the walls of that celebrated depot* 160 weedon. wide spread and very beautiful valley at the bottom of which flows a winding streamlet, may be seen, and then the train enters a cutting, soon after which we ap¬ proach the Stowe Hill, and pass through it by a tun¬ nel 500 yards in length. OXFORD CANAL BRIDGE NEAR WEEDON. STOW HILL TUNNEL WEEDON. 161 WEEDON STATION. From London 69f miles—From Birmingham 42J miles. Weedon village contains about 1500 inhabitants; it i& divided into two parts, Upper Weedon and Lower Wee¬ don. The latter, from being situated on the Holyhead road, is called also Road Weedon. The Royal Mili¬ tary DEPot stands on a slight eminence,and consists of a centre and two detached wings, with lawn in front; these form the residence of the governor and officers, while for the common men there are barracks on the top of the hill, capable of containing 500. At the bottom of the lawn there are eight store-houses and four magazines, adequate to contain 240,000 stand of small arms, with a proportionate quantity of artillery and ammunition ; there are also a number of workshops for the military mechanics, and a hospital capable of accommodating 40 patients. In consequence of the establishment of the railways, this one military force is rendered so efficient and such power is afforded of presenting itself when or¬ dered by the civil authorities, in any portion of England, in the course of a few hours, that the inutility of a number of these expensive establishments will doubtless soon be¬ gin to attract public attention. A troop of a few hun¬ dred men can be forwarded by railway from this cen¬ tral depot to any important part of the kingdom where their services might be required, with a magical celerity and precision that would be quite adequate to prevent mischief. A small force permanently stationed here for such emergencies would certainly be much more effici¬ ent than our present very numerous but straggling p 2 162 DAVENTRY. military establishments, to concentrate the forces from which, without marching to the scene of action, would often take a much longer time, than is needed in having a troop from Weedon to any of the important districts. Daventry, an incorporated market town, four miles from the Weedon station, on the left side of the line, is situated in the county of Northampton, twelve miles and a quarter W. by N. from Northampton, and con¬ tains 3646 inhabitants. Daventry is pronounced by the people in the neighbourhood Danetree, and is thence supposed to be of Danish origin. William the Conqueror gave Daventry to his niece Judeth, the wife of the Earl of Northumberland, and in the time of John it was in possession of Robert Fitz-Walter, the chief of the confederate Barons who obtained Magna Charta. At the period of the contests between the parliament and King Charles, many fierce engage* ments too]* place in this neighbourhood. The town consists of two principal and some minor streets, the houses in all of which are well built, though by no means proportioned to one another; it stands on a slight eminence, and is surrounded on most sides by sheltering hills. The manufacture of shoes gives em¬ ployment to a great portion of the population, and that of whips is also considerable. The market is on Wednesday, and the fairs on the first Monday in January, the last Monday in February, the Tuesday in Easter week, June 6 and 7, the first Wednesday in July, August 3, the first Wednesday in September, October 2, 3, and 27, and the first Wednesday in December. The Easter fairs and that on October 2, WEEDON BARRACKS. BROCKHALL PARK. 163 are for the sale of cheese, and the others for cattle; statute fairs for hiring servants are held on the three Wednesdays after Michaelmas. Borough Hill, a place of much interest to the an¬ tiquarian, is a high eminence about half a mile to the south east of the town ; from it may be taken, on a clear day, an extensive view of the surrounding counties; Northampton, the spires of Coventry, Weedon Depot, Naseby, and many of the intervening places of interest are conspicuous. This place was anciently chosen as the site of an encampment, doubtless from its com¬ manding so wide a survey; the remains of an ex¬ tensive entrenchment and rampart, and a Roman burial place, in which have been discovered urns, bones, charcoal, and other relics of Roman customs, render it a place of resort to many persons. At the southern side of the hill there are some old walls, called “ burnt walls,” and the remains of a fortification, called “ John of Gaunt’s Castle.” The train on starting from Weedon Station passes under a bridge, over which crosses the London and Holyhead road, and then we find ourselves in a deep cutting, which temporarily prevents our seeing the depot; however, on coming to the end of the excava¬ tion, a transitory glimpse of this grand central military establishment may he taken. A short time is now occupied by the train going through two cuttings, and then we are whirled amidst the sylvan scenery of Brockhall Park. The line passes through the park, frequently intersecting its woods and groves, and through the foliage may he 164 CRICK STATION. seen on the right the shining waters of the Grand Junction Canal, and beyond it is Brockhall, the resi¬ dence of T» R. Thornton Esq., with the rookery standing on an eminence. The scene is cut off from our vision by the train rushing under a bridge, and hurrying us along an embankment, from which a very different class of objects are visible. To the right is the Miscot Mill, and the canal running for a short way parallel with the embankment, and then turning under the line, appears at the left side. Buckby W harf stands on the left side of the embankment, with its malt house conspicuous, soon after which, a cliff to the left in the lias sand shows how the top of the hill has been taken away to make the neighbouring em¬ bankment. We then pass a bridge and enter a cut¬ ting through blue clay, topped by soil with flints, at the end of which another bridge crosses the line, where there is an embankment over a small valley filled with pastures, and the village of Watford is seen onwards to the right: the canal bends to the right under the line towards Watford, and just beyond is Watford Bridge and Cutting, the latter through blue clay covered with gravel, containing chalk and flints. This cutting is crossed by two bridges, and soon after we stop at the CRICK STATION. From London 75 % miles.—From Birmingham 37 miles. Crick is a village in Northamptonshire, six miles and a half from Daventry, and contains about 1000 in¬ habitants. K1LSBY TUNNEL, KILSBY. 165 Just after leaving the station, the train enters the Kilsby Tunnel, which is about 2,400 yards long, and the walls, which are two feet and a quarter thick, are built with Roman and metallic cement instead of mortar. This contract was let out originally to Joseph Nowell and Sons, at 120,000/; but these engineers being baf¬ fled in the prosecution of the work, the company were obliged to take to it themselves, and in addition to the sum mentioned, there was expended 160,000/., making up in all as the cost of the tunnel 280,000/. The great difficulty that was encountered in boring this tunnel, arose from a loose running sand contain¬ ing much water, through which sand the tunnel had to be cut; besides this, there was a blue clay, called by geologists lias shale, and by the miners blue bind, and also a hard limestone rock. The difficulties were gradually overcome; the water was pumped out night and day, by a number of powerful steam engines, and seven hundred men were engaged in carrying on the works; some were employed as miners, some as brick¬ layers, others as labourers. The hill top over the tunnel presented as busy a scene as the subterranean works; at the mouths of the shafts were to be seen the labourers taking away the materials, brought up from the tunnel, some were loading carts and bar- rows, others were employed in driving the former or wheeling the latter, and on the whole, the scene was busy and highly animated. On the left hand side on coming from the tunnel, is the village of Kilsby, amidst a grove of tall elm trees, the tops of which constitute the habitation of a multi- 106 HILL MORETON EMBANKMENT. tude of rooks, which, though they have dwelt for ages in this quiet village, evince a highly commendable disposition to bend before the progression of the times, and give way to the spirit of the age; and though the clatter of the train, the snorting of the engine, and the sound of the steam whistle,, have become inciden¬ tal to their once retired abode, they wear the semblance of resignation and content: their example is perhaps worthy of imitation by some of the human family. The country around the line presents for a short distance a pleasing undulated appearance, and soon we cross the imaginary line that divides Northampton¬ shire from Warwickshire, and then entering the latter, come upon the Hill Moreton Embankment, which is long and high, and in a great measure composed of the blue bind, excavated from the tunnel; this material consists of the most part of shells , which, on being ex¬ posed to the atmosphere, decompose and fall into a blue clay. The embankment passes between the village of Hill Moreton, which is close on the left, and the Church which is j ust on the right. The greater p art of the village is on the hill to the left, but a portion extends down to the valley over which the embankment crosses; this is a bog, the black peat of which rests on the lias clay, and is about six feet thick : over this moss runs the embankment. Mr. Townsend's white house, which is conspicuously placed near to the line, was built on the site of an old castle, the moat of which has been permitted to remain, and may be seen from the line. There are several bridges in the embankment, and the scenery at each side of it is truly delightful; on the RUGBY ROAD BRIDGE RUGBY STATION. 167 right the canal winds round a hill covered with rich com fields; to the left is a rivulet wandering away in a tortuous course, and then coining back again and pass¬ ing under a bridge in the embankment, flows down aval- ley to the right. The view along its course is exqui¬ sitely picturesque; the undulating hills slope gently to¬ wards the stream, the banks of which are covered with a rich verdure down to the water’s edge; on the left there is an antique cottage and farm, and the land is richly wooded. The train now plunges into a deep cutting through the blue clay, and having passed some bridges and the junction of the Midland Counties Railway, curves slightly to the left, crosses a bridge over the road leading from Rugby to Lutterworth, and stops at the RUGBY STATION. From London 83 J miles.—From Birmingham 29 J miles. Rugby, about half a mile from the line, but owing to the hill between, not visible from it, is a market town of Warwickshire, chiefly noted for its Grammar School, which was founded in the ninth year of the reign of Elizabeth, by Lawrence, Sheriff of London, a grocer, who having been bom in the neighbouring village of Brownsover, felt desirous to benefit the vi¬ cinity by the blessings of education. To effect his object he founded and endowed this school with a house and land in the parish of Clifton, and eight acres of land in London, called the Conduit Close, on which Lamb’s Conduit Street and others have been erected. At the time the bequest was made the general rental of these lands was under 100/.; in 1780 168 LUTTERWORTH. it did not exceed 116/.; but, owing to the erection of the streets, it has augmented to more than 6000/. a year, a sum adequate to educate all the children in the neighbourhood well in useful knowledge ; but which, by the regulation of the managers of the trust, is ex¬ pended in educating a number, never to exceed 260, principally in the knowledge of linguistry. This school is exempt, by Act of Parliament, from the scrutiny of the Commissioners for enquiring into Charitable Abuses! The school premises were taken down and re-built in 1808, and now constitute a magnificent palace-like erection of the Elizabethan style of architecture, suitable to the dignity of the masters and young gentlemen. The ancient names of the town were Rocheberie and Rokeby, which doubtless gave rise to the mo¬ dern one. There are several good streets, the houses in which are for the most part well built and of a substantial appearance : the number of the inhabitants is about 2500. The market is held on Saturday, and there are thirteen fairs in the course of the year, held as follows :—on the second Tuesday after Twelfth Day, February 17, March 31, the last Monday in April, May 5th pleasure fair, the second Monday in June, July 7, the 9th, Monday before New Michael¬ mas day, Aug. 21, the Monday before Michaelmas Day, the Monday preceding October, November 22 a great horse fair, the Tuesday before St. Thomas’s Day, and the Monday after Christmas Day. Lutterworth, seven miles to the right of Rugby Station, is a market town in Leicestershire, containing NEWBOLD ON AVON. 169 2262 inhabitants. This town only obtained its free¬ dom from vassalage to the lord of the manor in 1758, when the inhabitants obtained power to grind their corn and malt at any mills they liked, but prior to which they were compelled to have such operation performed at their lord’s mills, and of course a most exorbitant price was rigorously exacted from them. The worsted and riband manufacture is carried on to some extent; the market is on Thursday, and fairs are held on the Thursday after February 19, April 2, Holy Thurs¬ day, and September 16. Owing to the difficulty of gaining lodgings for the servants of the Company, a number of small wooden cottages were erected on the left of the station, at the far side of the area, where the omnibuses and coaches used to collect to take the passengers on from here to Denbigh Hall, prior to the completion of the in¬ tervening portion of the line. On leaving the station, to the right may he seen the embankment of the Midland Counties Railway, running at a right angle from the line, and under a viaduct belonging to it comes flowing onwards with us the River Avon. “ Thou soft flowing Avon, by thy silver stream, Of things more than mortal thy Shakspere did dream; The fairies by moonlight dance round his green bed, For hallowed the turf is which pillows his head. Just beneath the station bridge is Rugby Mill, and the river comes by it and then flows onwards, towards the village of Newbold on Avon. Q 170 BRANDON STATION. To the left in the distance may be seen the spire of Bilton Church, and Bilton Hall, celebrated for having been the residence of Addison, the author of the Spectator. We are now travelling along a line of road that is perfectly straight for miles, and after passing a cutting through lias, the village of Long Law ford is on the left, and then soon afterwards the train enters the Church Lawford Cutting, which is thirty-five feet deep in places, and from which have been taken nearly 500,000 cubic yards of earth, part of which forms a spoil bank, lying on the left just prior to entering the excavation, and the rest has been used in forming the Brandon embankment. The Church Lawford cutting is through blue clay, with layers of black marl, and topped by a thick bed of gra¬ vel. The village of Church Lawford stands on the right side, but is not visible on account of the cutting. The scene now opens, and a wide valley presents itself, over which the line passes on the Brandon Embankment, which is two miles and a half long, and in places, stands thirty-two feet high. The beautiful Avon flows towards us from the right, and beyond it away over the valley may be seen the village of King’s Newnham, where there is a bath, the water of which is chalybeate and also impregnated with alum. BRANDON STATION. From London 89J miles.—From Birmingham 23^ miles. Brandon is a small village about six miles from Coventry. Anciently it was a place of some note; WOLSTON. 17 ! and after the Conquest a castle was built, which is supposed to have been erected by Geoffrey de Clinton or his son-in-law Norman de Verdune. In the reign of Richard I. it was an important garrison, and in that of Henry III., its owner being a loyalist, it was taken and destroyed by the rebel barons. It was rebuilt and continued a residence to the descendants of its Norman founders for a time. The only trace that at present ex¬ ists is a mound consisting of delapidated ruins, in a heap that has somewhat the appearance of a Roman en¬ campment; this mound is called Brandon Castle. Near to the station the line crosses over the Avon, and a road leading from Brandon to Wolston, by a well-built viaduct of nine larger and six smaller arches, and then the village of Brandon may be seen to the right, and on the left is Brandon Castle, the Avon wending its way down the valley, and the village of Wolston, Wolston Mill, Wolston Priory, on its banks. Wolston Priory is said to have been founded by one of those companies of Norman monks which settled here in .such numbers after the conquest, in obedience to the orders of their French masters. From the embankment Wolston Mill forms a conspicuous and picturesque object. The train now proceeds through a series of small excavations by Brandon Woods, and then crosses the small river Sow by a viaduct of seven arches, the span of the central one being sixty feet. This viaduct is 52 feet high, and nearly 300 long. In crossing it a pleasing prospect is laid before the traveller for a few 172 THE SHERBORNE. minutes, and then we enter a cutting, over which is a neat foot bridge. To the right we leave the village of Binley, and soon after come upon the embankment over the valley of the Sherborne, Coventry spires presenting themselves onwards to the right. We have now passed over the oolite rocks, and are upon those of the saliferous system. The sand rocks of this system are of a reddish colour, and are called new red sandstone. The clays are of red, yellow, and other hues, and the limestone which is called the magnesian limestone, is generally of a yellow colour, but sometimes red, smoky white, or grey. The occurrence of rock salt and brine springs is the most remarkable feature in this system of rocks, and has led to its being called the saliferous system. It forms the great central plain of England, and is the most ex¬ tensive system we have; it consists of two formations, the red-sandstone formation, which has been found in some places upwards of 600 feet deep, and the mag¬ nesian limestone formation which is in some places 300 feet thick. The saliferous system rests upon the coal measures of the carboniferous system, and the organic remains constitute a link between those of the latter and those of the oolites, the forms altering in conformity with the alteration of the circumstance. In the gravel beds incidental to the sand rocks there are often to be found pieces of gypsum and petrified wood. The Sherborne is a pleasing rivulet, and the valley is remarkable for containing a great quantity of petri¬ fied dicotyledonous wood in a silicified state; a very splendid specimen of the trunk of a large tree exists WHITBY VIADUCT, NEAR COVENTRY. FOSSIL TREE. 173 in situ about half a mile from Coventry, at Allesley, in the yard at the back of the Rev. Mr. Gibsons house. This beautiful record of change is situated in a bed of gravel occurring between strata of sandstone; the wood is frequently granulated. We give the annexed sketch of it, which will no doubt be interesting to scientific readers. The Sherborne is passed by a viaduct similar to that over the Sow, when Whitley Mill and Com¬ mon lie upon the left, and the ancient city of Co¬ ventry on the right; the London Road is crossed hy the line and then we enter the Coventry Park ex¬ cavation, which passes through a hard sandstone rock ; about half way through on the south side of the cutting, Q 2 174 SALIFEROUS SYSTEM. a living toad was found about 11 feet deep in the solid rock. The circumstance of a living reptile existing em¬ bedded in rock may appear an improbable phenomenon to many of our readers; indeed though several in¬ stances have been mentioned, the fact appears to have gained but little credit; some have, however, thought the case not so difficult to account for. It is well known, they say, that toads and similar reptiles, pre¬ paratory to their going into a dormant state, bury themselves in the mud at the bottom and sides of ditches and pools, not in groups or congregated in a small space, but at some distance from each other. If the water by any means should be drained off, the silt which may have accumulated since the animal buried itself, would become indurated and prevent the future escape of the reptile. Upon the return of summer, when sufficient warmth had penetrated to where the creature was imprisoned, it would revive, and sufficient nourishment be afforded by the animalculae contained in the water which percolated through the strata. This theory, others maintain, is objectionable from its involving the doctrine that the animal was older than the rock in which it was found, a period so vast, con¬ sidering all the rocks above it in the order of super¬ position, as to make the notion ridiculous ; besides, the remains of these animals are not incidental to the saliferous system. And it is much more reasonable, they say, to suppose either that some spawn was car¬ ried with the water through the crevices of the rock, or even that some unknown process of organizing had taken place in the earth. The toad found in the COVENTRY STATION COVENTRY. 175 place above mentioned, and also the stone in which it was imbedded are preserved in the Museum of the Birmingham Philosophical Institution. At the bridge where the road from Coventry to Kenilworth crosses the line is the COVENTRY STATION. From London 94 miles.—From Birmingham 18J miles. Coventry. This ancient city is situated amidst Warwickshire, from which, however, it is distinct, it being a county of itself. Nothing certain is known of its origin, hut like most of our places of antiquity, it owed its rise and importance to the religious feeling of the times, by the founding and endowing of a monas¬ tery of Benedictine monks, by Leofric, Earl of Mer¬ cia, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, about the year 1043. The town, however, must have been of some consideration prior to this period, as the profits arising from the tolls and servitude formed an import¬ ant sum in those days to Earl Leofric’s income; and it was in order to free the city from such grievous tolls and servitude that his countess, Godeva, consented to per¬ form her singular feat. The Lady Godeva or Godiva, who, the reader must recollect, lived in the time of ro¬ mance and miracle, and was sister to the Sheriff of Lin¬ colnshire, and celebrated for her beauty and piety, being desirous of seeing Coventry prosperous, “ besought her husband, that, for the love of God and the blessed Virgin, he would free it from that grievous servitude where- unto it was subject; hut he, rebuking her for impor¬ tuning him in a matter so inconsistent with his profit, commanded that she should from thenceforth forbear 176 COVENTRY. to move therein ; yet she out of her womanish perti¬ nency continued to solicit him, insomuch that he told her, ‘ if she would ride on horseback naked from one end of the town to the other, in the sight of all the people, he would grant her requestwhereupon she returned, * but will you give me leave so to do ?’ and he replying f yes ,* the noble lady upon an appointed day, got on horseback naked, with her hair loose, so that it covered all her body but the legs, and thus per¬ forming the journey, returned with joy to her hus¬ band,”* who then granted her request, and gave the citizens a charter conferring various privileges and immunities. The discretion of the inhabitants insti¬ gated them to retire to the recesses of their houses at the period occupied by the lady in her equestrian tour, but one unfortunate wight, a tailor, venturing to get a peep at Godeva as she rode through the silent and deserted streets, was instantly visited with Divine ven¬ geance, and struck blind, so that his indelicate wish remained ungratified, and he was severely punished for his presumption. A wooden figure of this “Peeping Tom,” the curious tailor, may be seen at the corner of a house in High Street; and the townsfolk have been wont to open the fair up to a very recent period by parading a “ Lady Godiva,” on horseback, through the city. In the reign of Edward III., the monks and in¬ habitants obtained letters patent for exacting certain tolls towards defraying the expenses of enclosing the city with a wall; and several royal grants, particularly of stone from neighbouring quarries, were subsequently Dugdale’s Antiquities. COVENTRY. 177 obtained for the same purpose. In Dugdale’s Anti¬ quities of Warwickshire is a curious old plan of this city, showing the wall with its six gates and numerous towers. The w^alls were demolished by Charles II., in consequence of the active part taken by the citizens in favour of the parliament. By the time of Edward III. Coventry had grown up to a very flourishing condition, and in the 18th year of that reign it was made a corporate town, with peculiar privileges and powers. In 1373 St. Michael’s steeple was erected to the previously existing church; it was finished a.d. 1395, in the eighteenth year of Richard II. This structure was pronounced by Sir Christopher Wren to be a masterpiece of the lighter Gothic style. Various favours were shown by Ed¬ ward III. to this city, whose Queen, Isabel, had an estate in Cheylesmore, close by, for life, the reversion thereof being vested in her son Edward the Black Prince. In the reign of Richard II. Coventry was appointed the place for deciding a difference between Henry Duke of Hereford, afterwards Henry IV., and Thomas Duke of Norfolk, by single combat; prepa¬ rations were made on Gosford Green, but the en¬ gagement did not take place, owing to the banishment of the combatants. In 1404, the sixth year of Henry IV., a parliament was held by that King in the great chamber of the Priory of Coventry. This parliament was of a singu¬ lar nature and obtained the title of “ Parliamentum indoctorum,” because by special precept to the sheriffs in their several counties, €i no lawyer, nor any person 178 COVENTRY. skilled in the laws was to be sent as a member/' so that it was composed of laymen inimical to the interest of the clergy, and who made strong efforts to injure the clerical dignity; but were successfully resisted by Thomas Arundell, then Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1451, the thirtieth of Henry VI., Coventry re¬ ceived its principal charter from that King. This charter granted that “ the said city, with several ad¬ jacent hamlets and villages, should, from the Feast of St. Nicholas, viz. the sixth of December next en¬ suing, be an entire county of itself, incorporate both in deed and name, distinct and altogether separate from the county of Warwick for ever, and from thenceforth to be called the county of the city of Coventry forever.” The charter also confirms all former grants, and ordains cer¬ tain powers to officers, the same as belonging to those of counties in general, besides various peculiar pri¬ vileges highly beneficial to the corporation. This ample charter bears date at Westminster, the 26th of November, in the thirtieth of Henry VI., and it was confirmed by his successor Edward IV. In 1459, the thirty-eighth of Henry VI., another parliament was held in the chapter house of the priory. This parliament obtained the appellation of “ Parliamentum Diabolicum,” from the number of attainders it issued against the Duke of York and his adherents. The acts passed by this parliament were annulled by the succeeding one. In 1468, Edward IV. and his Queen kept their Christmas at Coventry. The celebrated Earl of Warwick, called the King-maker, had posses¬ sion of the city during the civil disturbances of this COVENTRY. 179 reign, and refused the King entrance on his way from the north to London; the Earl however was soon after defeated and slain at Barnet, when Edward remember¬ ing the disloyalty of the citizens, came to Coventry and seized their liberties and franchises, and took the sword of state from the Mayor, all of which were re¬ stored upon the payment of a fine of 500 marks. It appears, however, that the king was soon perfectly re¬ conciled to the citizens, as four years afterwards we read of his coming with his queen to Coventry to keep the feast of St. George there, the prince having arrived beforehand had received a present of 100/. and a cup from the citizens, and became godfather to the mayor’s child. Henry VII. marched to Coventry with his army after the defeat of the Yorkists and death of Richard III. at Bosworth field; the king lodged at the house of the mayor, whom he knighted, and the city presented him with 100/. and a cup. We now approach that period in our history when the dispersion of monastic property brought about some of the most important social as well as political changes that ever were experienced in this, or perhaps any other king¬ dom. During the prosperity of the monasteries and similar religious establishments, great numbers'of the people resorted thither for secular as well as spiritual affairs, indeed the temporal affairs of the monks were exceedingly great, as they held immense territories and were the principal advisers of the laity. The break¬ ing up these fraternities caused also a dispersion of those who depended for their livelihood upon them. 180 COVENTRY. and we find this to have been the case in Coventry especially. In the third year of the reign of Edward VI., the number of inhabitants had decreased within memory from 15,000 to 3,000. But in the mean time advantage had been taken by the citizens of the division of the monastic lands, and the present exten¬ sive right of common on what is called “ the Lammas Lands,” was obtained by purchase from the crown. In the reign of Henry VIII. a very large quantity of monastic land was, for the sum of 1,378/. 10s., granted to the mayor, bailiffs, and commonalty, and their suc¬ cessors, by the King’s letters patent, dated July 19th, thirty-fourth of his reign, to be held in Capite, by the twentieth part of a knight’s fee, and paying 11. 13s. 2d. yearly to the said King, his heirs and successors. In the succeeding reign of Edward VI. further lands and possessions of the Gilds and Chantries came to be dispersed, and a similar purchase was made from the crown in consideration of the sum of 1,315/. Is. 8 d. In the sixteenth century Coventry became much excited by theological questions, and the Bishop of Chester being sent to examine persons accused of heresy, condemned seven to the stake. They were burnt in the Little Park. In 1554, a Mr. Hopkins, Sheriff for the City, was accused of heresy, but by interest got his life spared, and immediately left the country. In the following year Mr. Lawrence Saun¬ ders, Robert Glover, A. M., and Cornelius Bongay were burnt for their opinions. At the period of the Parliamentary War, when the country became divided into two great parties, Royalists and Republicans, the COVENTRY. 181 men of Coventry were distinguished among the latter; and, on Charles sending orders to the mayor and sheriffs to attend him at Nottingham, the citizens declined doing so,—at once declared themselves Par¬ liamentarians, and having seized the magazine in Spoil Tower, and, being encouraged by the republican en¬ thusiasm of the women of the city, and reinforced by 400 of “ the men of Birmingham ,” when the King and his army arrived in the vicinity, shut the gates and put him to defiance: his Majesty therefore found it necessary to withdraw. In the reign of Charles II., this merry monarch, to punish the Coventry folks for resisting his father, sent the Earl of Northampton with a large retinue to make a breach in their walls; but so full of loyalty was the noble Earl and his followers, that, instead of making a breach , he knocked down the wall and dismantled the gates. Since the reign of Edward VI., Coventry has under¬ gone many changes as regards the flourishing state of its inhabitants and the staple trade of the place. Many institutions were founded and endowed from the ruins of the monasteries, of which the following are the principal. The Free Grammar School was founded on the estate of the previous St. John’s Hospital, whicKbeing dissolved in the thirty-seventh year of Henry VIII., was, by that king’s letters patent, dated the twenty-third of July, in the same year, with all the lands and posses¬ sions thereunto belonging, granted unto John Hales, gent, and his heirs; which John having accumulated a great estate in monastery and chantry lands, designed R 182 COVENTRY. the foundation and endowment of a free school, and obtained a license for that purpose. The income is at the present time about 900/. per annum, and the school has two Fellowships at St. John’s College, Oxford, one at Catherine Hall, Cambridge, and six exhibitions at either University. Sir William Dugdale and several other eminent men received their education at this school. Sir Thomas White’s Charity, founded also in the reign of Henry VIII., produces between 2000/. and 3000/. per annum. Bond’s Alms Houses, or Bablake Hospital, was founded by the will of Thomas Bond, a rich merchant and sometime mayor and alderman of the city of Coventry, in 1506. The Men’s Hospital has an income of about 1500/. which is devoted to the main¬ tenance of poor and aged men. The Boys’ Hospital has an income of about 940/., for the maintenance and education of young and poor boys, who wear a similar dress to that worn generally at the time of the foundation. Besides these, there are several other considerable and minor Charities. The ancient buildings of Coventry possess great interest to the antiquarian and artist. During the monastic ages, Coventry had a large and beautiful cathedral, similar to that at Lichfield, but it was destroyed by order of Henry VIII. St. Michael’s Church, which we have before briefly noticed, is most justly the boast of Coventry. Its fine tower and spire are scarcely to be equalled in COVENTRY. 183 Europe, and are choice examples of English ecclesias¬ tical architecture. The height to the summit is 303 feet. The body of the church is more ancient, the first mention of it being in King Stephen’s time, when Ranulph, Earl of Chester, rendered it to the monks of Coventry, by the name of the Chapel of St. Michael. Trinity Church is both handsome and capacious, hut being situated so near to St. Michael’s, its effect is in a great degree diminished. It was appropriated to the Priory in the forty-fourth year of Henry III., a.d. 1260, which is the first mention made of it. The height of its spire is 237 feet. St. John’s Church has a very ancient appearance. It is in the form of a cross, and was founded in the reign of Edward III. A handsome new church has been added to the ancient steeple of the Grey Friar’s Convent. St. Mary’s Hall, situated in the immediate vicinity of St. Michael’s Church, is a building affording a high treat to the antiquary and artist. This rich and beau¬ tiful specimen of the ornamental architecture of the fifteenth century, was erected in the reign of Henry VI., as a place of meeting for the Trinity Guild. The large hall is sixty-three feet by thirty feet, and thirty- four feet in height, and its interior exhibits a variety of antiquarian relics. The carved roof of oak, the gallery and armoury, the state chair, the great painted window, and a piece of tapestry made in 1450, which measures thirty feet by ten, and contains eighty figures, all furnish a vivid idea of what Coventry must have been when it was favoured with the presence of royalty. 184 COVENTRY. There existed, prior to the year 1771, a very splendid cross, at Coventry, of which, atone time, the citizens were justly proud, as, from the plate of it in Dugdale’s Antiquities, it must have been inferior to none in England. It was begun in the year 1541, and took three years in building, the founder being Sir William Hollies, Knight, sometime Lord Mayor of London, who bequeathed 200/. sterling to the mayor and aider- men of the city for the purpose. It was, however, removed, to gratify bad taste, in the year 1771. The Mayor’s Parlour, which is used for judicial purposes, is a building of the sixteenth century. The city generally appears gloomy and crowded, and bears a similar appearance to all others of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is restricted within its ancient limits, being surrounded by the before- mentioned Lammas Land. The County Hall, Dra¬ pers’ Hall, and many modern places of worship of the dissenters, are buildings very creditable to the projectors. The staple manufactures of Coventry, prior to the war with France, in 1694, were woollens, broad cloths, and caps; and a celebrated blue thread was made here, prior to 1580. In the eighteenth century, the manu¬ facture changed to tammies, camlets, shalloons, cali- mancoes, gauzes, &c. In 1730, the manufacture of ribbons was introduced; that of watches commenced in 1800, and these now form the staple trade of the city. Coventry sends two members to Parliament; the number of electors under the Reform Act is 5000. KENILWORTH 185 The population at the present time is somewhat above 30,000. There is a weekly market on Friday, and fairs are held on the second Friday after Ash-Wednes¬ day, May 2, Friday in Trinity week, August 26 and 27, and November 1. COVENTRY. About three miles and a half to the left of the Station is the beautiful village of Stoneleigh, noted for its picturesque and rural scenery and the splendid seat of Chandos Leigh , Esq. Kenilworth, about four miles and a half to the left, is a market town, and contains about 4000 inhabitants. r 2 186 WARWICK. It is celebrated for the beautiful ruins of its ancient castle, some of the historical incidents of which have been laid before the public, heightened by the romantic genius of Sir Walter Scott. The abbey and castle were founded by Geoffrey de Clinton, in the time of Henry I., and the latter, after undergoing various vicissitudes, during the turbulent sway of the barons, was presented by Elizabeth to her favourite, Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who made considerable improve¬ ments, and having embellished the castle and grounds at a great expense, entertained his Queen and her court there, for seventeen days, in a style of the most costly magnificence. When the republicans under Cromwell took possession of this castle, they broke down the walls, drained the lake that was at the side of it, and divided the park and the ground previously occupied by the waters of the lake, into farms. The ruins, as they now stand, give a lofty idea of the ancient strength and grandeur of the Castle, and, from their beauty and the interesting events associated with them, attract, during the summer months, various parties of visitors to Ken¬ ilworth. Some remains of the ancient monastery are observable in the valley beneath the town. Warwick, a borough, market and county town, nine miles from the Coventry station, is a place of great antiquity and beauty, situated on the right bank of the river Avon. Its early history is interwoven with reli¬ gious and chivalric romance, of a character incidental to times gone by. It is said to have been a British town prior to the conquest of the island by the Romans, and to have retrograded during the Roman sway. On WARWICK. 187 the invasion of the Saxons taking place, it was included in the kingdom of Mercia, which coming into the possession of Warremund, he rebuilt this town, and from him it was called Warre-wyke, Warhica, whence has arisen the present name. The town was taken by the Danes, and suffered severely from them, but was renovated by Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred, and Countess of Mercia, who built a fort on the bank of the river, which is said to form part of the present Castle, In the third year of the reign of Athelstan, (a.d. 926) the Danes infested the county, and the King is described as being sick at heart, at witnessing the desolation of his dominions. A ]3ro- posal was made to him, by his warlike enemies, that the contest for the kingdom should be decided by a combat between an English and a Danish warrior. If the former won, the Danes agreed to withdraw ; if the latter were victorious, Athelstan must resign his kingdom to the strangers. Athelstan agreed to the proposal, and, calling together his nobles, offered the province ofHantshire to the man who should overthrow Colbrand, the appointed champion of the Danes. The King had little confidence in any other of his warriors than Guy, Earl of Warwick, who, unfortunately, was away on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The English were in sore trouble, and prayed to God for a saviour from the heathen and infidel Dane. Moved by their prayers, the Deity sent an angel to Athelstan, ordering him to rise and go, with two bishops, up to the north gate of the city, (Winchester) and stay there till the hour of prime, and that then a crowd of pilgrims would 188 WARWICK. come past, among whom would be found a deliverer. The King rose, did as directed, and found, at the spe¬ cified time, the invincible Guy, returning from his pilgrimage, in the very dress minutely described by the angel. The King was enraptured. Guy, (who was not detected by any one to be the Earl of Warwick,) was taken to the palace, and commenced active train¬ ing and preparations for the combat with the Dane, who was an immense giant. On the day of combat, Guy, who is called the Pal¬ mer , rose early, and attended three masses; the first of the Holy Ghost, the second of the Blessed Trinity, and the third of the Holy Cross. He then, armed in the King’s best harness, girt on the sword of Constan¬ tine the Great, and with the lance of St. Maurice in his hand, mounted the King’s noblest charger. His appearance was so stately and chivalrous, that all gazed on him with admiration. The lists were set in the valley of Chiltecumbe. The combatants appeared; the Danish giant was covered with ponderous armour, and mounted on a monstrous steed ; before him was a cart laden with axes and other terrible weapons. The men fought hard, but were so encased in their massive armour, that, for a great part of the day, they were unable to injure one another. The Dane, at one fell swoop, struck off the head of Guy’s horse, and then, with huge bars of iron, taken from his cart, endea¬ voured to beat in the armour of his enemy. Guy waited patiently, with his strength gathered up for a terrible blow, when, at length, he espied his opportu¬ nity, and down came his weapon thundering on the WARWICK. 189 target of the Dane. So tremendous was the shock, that the giant’s iron club fell, and while endeavouring to pick it up, he exposed his arm, when Guy’s weapon instantly slashed down upon it with a vehemence of energy that struck away the giant’s gauntlet, and cut off his hand. The Danes were appalled ; their cham¬ pion stood bleeding; yet, though every minute getting weaker, still he was a warrior, and all that he desired was to close with his antagonist. Guy stood aloof, for the fate of his country depended on his caution, and he waited till his foe had bled profusely; and when, towards the evening, he had at length sunk down in a faint, Guy immediately sprung forward, and struck off the head of his gigantic adversary. Guy was a very religious man, and, after his victory, declined stopping at court, but went home, and became the inhabitant of a hermitage near his Castle of War¬ wick, where he spent the rest of his days as a recluse. The place has since been known by the name of Guy’s Cliff In after times another Guy, Earl of Warwick, dis¬ tinguished himself by being instrumental in having a man’s head cut off. This unfortunate was Piers Gavestone, the favourite of Edward II. He was exe- cutedon BlacklowHill, a short distance from the Castle. During the time of the Parliamentary war, the Cas¬ tle of Warwick was defended against the King by Lord Brooke. In 1695, a dreadful conflagration took place in the town, in consequence of a spark falling from a piece of lighted stick, which a hoy had in his hand, on the dry thatch of one of the houses. Some years 190 WA RWICK. elapsed before the shock was overcome, and much of the town was rebuilt by a national contribution of 110 , 000 /. The town of Warwick has a clean, respectable, and quiet appearance, and contains about 9100 inhabitants. The Court House, situated in High-street, is a handsome stone building, ornamented with fluted pil¬ asters, and a sculptured figure of Justice, surmounted with the Warwick arms. On the left of the vestibule is the court-room, and on the right the mayor's parlour; above there is an assembly-room, with an orchestra at one end. The County Hall, in Northgate-street, is a hand¬ some stone building, with a Corinthian fa$ade, to the left of which is the Judges’ mansion, and on the right the County Gaol, a large Doric building, of a some¬ what gloomy aspect, the various departments of which are carried on with the highest degree of precision and exactness. Besides these, there are many other public buildings, of much beauty and interest, in the town; and immediately adjacent, on the bank of the Avon, stands the Castle, which is, perhaps, one of the finest specimens of the kind in the kingdom, and contains many objects of high interest. In visiting such places as this, the traveller will find that he must pay just the same as if he were viewing a series of shows, for to the care of every thing curious there is a menial appointed, who has the privilege of shewing it to strangers; and the visitor, after having been escorted for a short time, is addressed with a “ Please, sir, I have now shewn you all that I am privileged to shew. My Lord has WARWICK. 191 appointed me to this perquisite, and ladies and gentle¬ men always leave something.” Such an address as this brings out a piece of the circulating medium, on the receipt of which, my Lord’s retainer says, “ John will shew you the next part, sir; I’ll send him directly.” Away he flies, and soon “ John” takes his place, when another sight is shown, and a similar scene of extor¬ tion and transference takes place. Visitors should be prepared with small change to meet these repeated claims, or else they will find an examination of this ancient building and its contents very expensive. The Warwick market is on Saturday, and is well supplied with provisions of every kind. The fairs are on January 21, February 11 and 23, April l,May 13, June 3, July 5, August 12, September 4, November 8, and December 16. The statute and pleasure fair is held on October 12, on which occasion, there is generally an ox roasted in the market-place. Leamington Priors, 2i miles east of Warwick, is a fashionable watering place, containing 6209 inha¬ bitants. The river Learn, from which the name is derived, flows between the old and new town, and, uniting with the Avon, wanders away amidst a beau¬ tiful country towards Stratford. The elevation erf Leamington has altogether arisen from its mineral waters and delightful neighbourhood. The latter is replete with historic incident, and beautiful scenery; and the former consist of sulphureous, saline, and chalybeate springs. Baths, of the most elegant char¬ acter, have been erected, and spa rooms fitted up in the most fashionable mode. The town consists of houses. 192 STRATFORD-ON-AVON. few of which are thirty years old, all built in a superior style to those of a similar class in other towns, and, for the most part, fronted with Roman cement, to resemble stone. There are many superb mansions, the inmates of which are permanent inhabitants, and numerous magnificent hotels, for the convenience of strangers. Many get a subsistence by keeping lodging houses, and there is a continual influx and efflux of visitors. Stratford-on-Avon, an incorporated and market town, 17i miles from the Coventry station, is delight¬ fully situated near the borders of Warwickshire, on the banks of the Avon, and contains 3488 inhabitants. It is a place of ancient importance, and is often made mention of in history; but the circumstance which it is most celebrated for, is that of having been the birth place of Shakespere. The house in which the bard is said to have been born is still shewn, but the mansion to which he retired in his old age, called the “New Place,” together with the mulberry planted by him, have both been removed by some modern proprietor. The cele¬ brated Garrick instituted a J ubilee in honour of Shakespere, in 1769, on which occasion the Town Hall, which had been recently re-erected, was dedicated to the immortal poet, and his statue being presented to the town by Garrick, was fixed up at the north end of the building. The more illiterate inhabitants are fond of telling strangers about Shakespere s adventures ; of his deer stealing, his courtship of Ann Hathaway, his efforts in London, and his final return to his native town; and so used have they been to hear the bard BEECHWOOD TUNNEL. 193 familiarly spoken of, that many think he lived in recent times. On one occasion we heard a person, after detailing the usual anecdotes, gravely, hut hesitatingly, give his opinion, that he did not think there was any one alive now that could remember Shakespere. There is a manufacture of florentine buttons, and an extensive brewery; and the junction of canals with the river, which is navigable down to the Severn, produces employment of a commercial nature for many of the inhabitants. There is also a railway to Moreton-in- the-Marsh, in Gloucestershire. Fairs are held on May 14, 15, 16, and 17, for cattle, horses, and toys, and on September 25, for cattle; besides these, there are several great markets in the course of the year. On leaving the Coventry Station, the farm of Nether Fletchamstead, and Fletchamstead Hall, are both passed. In former times these con¬ stituted one estate, celebrated for having been chosen by Henry I. as a place suitable for a hermitage, and by Charles I. as a place of retirement after his discom¬ fiture by the citizens of Coventry. On both sides of the line the scenery is extremely beautiful, and the cuttings through the red sand rock and red marls, serve as interludes between the different scenes. One of these excavations gradually deepens as the train ap¬ proaches the Beechwood Tunnel. From this exca¬ vation there have been taken 193,766 cubic yards of stone, and over it is a beautiful bridge, consisting of a single arch, 76 feet span, springing from the naked rock, with which it is connected, as it were, by a simple moulding. The stone of the arch having been taken 194 BERK SWELL, BEECHWOOD TUNNEL. from the cutting, exhibits a mingling together of the works of art and those of nature. The Beechwood Tunnel is in the Egyptian style, the colossal propor¬ tions of which seem suited for such a work. Its ter¬ mini are particularly interesting, on account of the polychromic effect, produced by the employment of stone of different colours ; the string courses and copings being of a fine blueish stone, while the mass of the building is of the red sand stone. The tunnel passes through the Reaves Green Ridge, and is 300 yards in length. It cost 117,000/. Just after the tunnel is the Berkswell Bridge, but the village of Berkswell, about one mile on the north¬ east, is not seen from the line. The grounds of Berks- HAMPTON STATION. 195 well Hall, the residence of Sir J. E. Wilmot, Bart., approach very near to the line, hut are not seen from the cutting. About a mile farther on, we come to the junction of the Branch from the Birmingham and Derby railway, and soon after enter a cutting and stop at the HAMPTON STATION. From London 100§ miles.—From Birmingham 12 miles. Hampton-in-Arden is a picturesque village on the south-east of the station. The Church has a parti¬ cularly venerable appearance. It was originally sur¬ mounted with a tall tower, which was a noted mark to all the country round, but on St. Andrew’s day, a.d. 1643, it was destroyed by lightning, which also mate¬ rially damaged the whole fabric. We are now upon our last stage, and this, with travellers, is generally deemed the most pleasing; but there are other recommendations to this portion of the line besides that of approaching our journey’s end. About a mile after passing Bicknell, which is observ¬ able to the south, the train comes upon the embank¬ ment over the Valley of the Sheldon, from which, away to the north, is a w T ide view of beautiful mea¬ dows, fringed with their tall hedges, and hounded in the distance by woodlands, in the midst of which, upon an eminence, may he seen the town of Coleshill with its church conspicuous. Coleshill is a market town, situated on a hill beside the river Cole, and containing 1853 inhabitants. Not far from the town is Maxtoke Castle, built in the style of an ancient fortress. The outer wall is embat- 196 BARlt BEACON. tied, and has at each angle an octagonal tower; the entrance consists of an arch in the gateway tower, which was formerly defended by a portcullis. There are also, in the neighbourhood, the ruined remains of Maxtoke Priory. The tall spire of Yardley, a village in Worcester¬ shire, is observable a little onwards to the left, on approaching which, we cross a protuberant corner of that county which stretches into Warwickshire, and having passed the junction of the Derby Railway, again enter the last named county, and pass through a deep cutting of red marl. Over this cutting there are several bridges, one of which stretches across the deepest part. At the end of the excavation we find ourselves upon a high embankment, with thebusy town of Birmingham before us. To the right, on the distant height, may be observed Coleshill, and a little more forwards, the village of Castle Bromwich : more onwards still may be seen the New Catholic College of Oscott, conspicuously placed upon a hill, and on to the north is the old land-mark, Barr Beacon, consisting of a grove of trees, upon the summit of a heath-clad emi¬ nence. Immediately to our right is the Grand Junc¬ tion Railway, carried on a magnificent Viaduct, at the far end of which may be seen the Vauxhall Sta¬ tion for heavy goods. In that part of the valley, inter¬ vening between the two lines, flows the river Tame. To the left, the suburban gardens of the industrious artizans may be seen by the canal side, and a little closer to the town, are some of those rusty looking buildings called manufactories, which constitute a portion of the machin- BIRMINGHAM STATION. BIRMINGHAM STATION. 197 ery for the production of hardwares. From the end of the embankment, the line is carried on a series of splendid arches over the Tame and Lawley-street, and the traveller in the train can look down upon the house¬ tops from this elevated viaduct, at the end of which is a small embankment, and then a bridge over the canal, across which the London and Birmingham and Grand Junction lines run side by side, and then curving away from each other, enter their separate stations. We now pass the Engine House, a large sixteen-sided building, on the left, and after sundry joltings, resulting from the crossing of different lines of rails, enter beneath the spacious shedding of the Birmingham Terminus, and stop at the Arrival Parade, which is on our left side, and from which there are numerous convey¬ ances to all parts of the town. BIRMINGHAM STATION. From London 112J miles. The Birmingham station consists of an establish¬ ment occupying several acres of ground. The Repo¬ sitory for Heavy Goods is an extensive area, exca¬ vated out of the new red sand rock, to the left of Curzon- street. On the right is the splendid Facade, adorned with four magnificent Ionic columns. The building, of which this is the front, contains the board room of the directors, the secretary’s offices, the offices of the finan¬ cial and correspondence departments, a refreshment saloon, &c. To the left of this building, while looking from the front, is the entrance to the booking-offices, through which we pass at the London end, and emerge s 2 198 BIRMINGHAM STATION. upon the departure parade, under the iron shedding, which covers a space of 217 feet long and 113 wide, and is admitted to be the first structure of the kind that has ever been erected. At one end of the shedding may be seen the windows of the refreshment saloon, the entrance to which is on the arrival side, and at a little distance from the other end is the Engine-House. Closely adjacent is the Grand Junction Station, to which the policemen are ready to conduct passengers, if required. MAP OF BIRMINGHAM. 201 BIRMINGHAM. This midland emporium of the Mechanic Arts is deserving of a more extended account than the brief notice of it which we append; for we shall only endeavour to place before the reader the principal facts and circumstances of this important borough. The origin of its name, even, would require considerable dis¬ cussion to make those who are unacquainted with its history to understand it, without treating of the rise and progress of the place. The name, we are informed, has been spelt in 140 dif¬ ferent ways at various times. It is spelt Bermingeham in Domesday Book, Anno Domini, 1086, under “ Warwicseire,. 243, a. Terra Willi Filii Ansculfi, &c. De W. teny- Ricoardg- iiii. hist, in Bermingeha,” &c. It is spelt nearly in the same way in an extract by Leland, who lived in the time of Henry VIII., (Collectanea, vol. i., p. 180) from an old chron¬ icle beginning 43 Henry III., a. d. 1297. “.Gul. de Bermengeham miles captus cum aliis prope Baionam et Parisiis in triumphum nussus.” In Ritson’s collection of An¬ cient Songs is the song of Sir Piers de Birmingham, from the Harleian Library, of the time of 1300, as he says, in which the name occurs several times, although the spelling is old and abbreviated, thus,—“ b’mgh a me.” A person of that name was famous in Irish history, and from him, it is presumed, the Bir¬ mingham Tower, where the Irish records are kept, is named. Leland himself,in his English Itinerary,spells itBermingliam,as quoted in the Additions to Camden’s Britannica, “ Warwickshire.” “ I came through a praty street or ever I entered Bermingham. .The beauty of Bermingham, a good market town in the extreame parts of Warwickshire, is one street, going up along© almost from the left risse of the brooke, up a meane hill, by the length of a quarter of a mile. There is one paroch Church in the town. There be many smithes in the town, that use to make knives, and all manner of cutting tooles, and many formers, that 202 BIRMINGHAM. make bittes, and a great many naylours; so that a great part of the towne is maintained by smithes, who have their iron and sea cole out of Staffordshire. Lei. iv., 186.”— Gough's Camden, page 343. Lastly, Camden himself, in Elizabeth’s time, spells it “ Bremicham, full of inhabitants, and echoing with forges, .... ” The noble and warlike family of the Bremichams in Ireland derive their descent and name from hence. It is supposed that this town was known to the Romans, and that the beds of coal and iron with which the neighbourhood abounds, and many of which were evidently used at an early period, by open work or mining, were known to them. The prodigious accumulation of scoria in the neighbourhood of Aston Furnace, can scarcely be accounted for, but on the supposition of the Ancient Britons and Romans having worked the mines. Near to Wednesbury there are the remains of hundreds of coal pits which have long been in disuse. Birmingham was the centre of the Saxon kingdom of Mercia, and the manor was held by a chief of the name of Ulwine, until the invasion of William the Norman, who gave it to one of his followers, named William Fitz Ansculph; the residence of the Lord of the Manor being at Dudley. It then fell into the hands of Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and after his attainder and death, was given by Queen Mary to a Mr. Mar¬ row, who sold it to Bishop Sherlock; Lord Archer next bought it, and it descended to Christopher Musgrave, Esq., who now holds it. Up to the time of the first Charles, 1640, Birmingham, al¬ though a manufacturing place, was not of any note or conse¬ quence, and probably not equal to any of the manufacturing villages now in the neighbourhood; but after the Restoration the trade increased, and towards the middle of the last century the place began to assume an important appearance. It is perhaps not more than sixty or seventy years since it was made a post town, previous to which letters used to be directed to Birmingham, near Walsall. This latter place is now insigni¬ ficant, compared with Birmingham, though it is still a post town. The late French and American wars were the great causes of the prosperity and increase of this place, during the latter part of the last century, and the early part of this; for such was the demand for muskets during this period, that they were required to be furnished to the government at the rate of two a minute, or 30,000 stand of arms a month. From the year 1805 to 1815, three millions of muskets were made at Birmingham for BIRMINGHAM 203 the government alone, besides all the arms which were made for private purposes. Swords, also, were manufactured in vast quantities, and so great was the demand for labour then, that a man could get a pound note a day; the greater proportion of workmen, however, would only work two or three days a week. Buckles, which were brought into fashion by the Prince of Orange, were the great staple manufacture for nearly a century; and such was the taste for them, that two millions and a half have been made in one year, giving employment to 5000 work¬ men. Since then, Buttons became the staple manufacture, and “ the men of Birmingham” were honoured with the appellation of “ Brummagem Button Makers.” VIEW OF BIRMINGHAM. Birmingham stands upon a hill, by the River Rea,, on the borders of Warwickshire, near the junction of this county with Staffordshire and Worcestershire, and is pretty nearly in the centre of England. It is in the direct road from London to Liverpool and Manchester, and is the fifth place of importance in the kingdom. A part of the great Roman road, the Ikenield- 204 BIRMINGHAM. street, which extended from Southampton to Tynemouth, through the centre of the kingdom, lies near it, and is now called Warstone Lane. At the time of the Restoration, there were not more than fifteen streets, containing 900 houses, and about 5000 inhabitants: it now contains 180,000 inhabitants. During the civil war, in the time of Charles I., Birmingham took part with the Parliament; and Prince Rupert, having defeated his opponents, punished the inhabitants by setting fire to their town, and levying a heavy fine upon them. In the year 1791, the notoriously memorable riots took place, during which many buildings and much valuable property were again destroyed by fire. Ignorant and debased wretches did the work of destruction, headed and led on by many who knew better, and who ought to have prevented instead of encouraging such an outrage. The spirit of party politics must have run tremen¬ dously high at that time, for one portion of the community to sanction the destruction of the property of the other. Though there is still strong party feeling, yet on a late occasion, when the same hotel which was destroyed during the Riots, was attacked by a brutal mob, the leaders of both parties united to put down violence and disturbance; and to the credit of the working class, scarcely a single artizan that pretends to politics was found among the mob. In all large towns there is a great mass of canaille always ready for mischief. The appearance of the town is irregular, and not very prepos¬ sessing to a stranger; but there are many fine streets and hand¬ some buildings, and at least two of the most magnificent struc¬ tures in the kingdom—the Town Hall and Free Grammar School. New-street is a very noble line of shops, and Bull- street, High-street, and the first part of Dale-end, are all of them large and good resorts of trade and commerce. The Bull- ring and Digbeth are places of considerable traffic, and the former place, on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, has very large markets held in it still, notwithstanding the immense Market Hall, which has been built close by. The streets which form the square of St. Philip’s Church-yard, Colemore and Tem¬ ple Rows, Waterloo-street and Bennett’s-hill, which are new erections, and Newhall and Paradise-streets, are composed of very spacious and handsome houses, which are generally occu¬ pied by professional men. The parish of Aston, which joins Birmingham, is a very large place, composed of rather small streets, which are very thickly populated; and the parish of Edgbaston, which also is now united by buildings with Birmingham, is a great district of NEW STREET, BIRMINGHAM. BIRMINGHAM. 205 villas, equal to any thing which the neighbourhood of Highgate or Hampstead, near London, afford. With a population of nearly 200,000, and an amount of wealth which cannot be less than 12,000,000/., Birmingham must be a place of very consi¬ derable importance. The scenery in the neighbourhood is very beautiful, more especially about Edghaston and Moseley; but Handsworth, Aston, and Sutton Coldfield, are all rich in the luxurious vari¬ eties of nature. Beautiful, however, as may be the scenery of nature, it is the works of art which give Birmingham its value and celebrity, and it is to these, therefore, that we must direct attention. Until the Reform Bill passed, this town had never been repre¬ sented in Parliament; but it was then constituted a Borough, and sends two members to Parliament—Messrs. Attwood and Scholefield, who have been thrice returned by their constituents. The chief municipal affairs of the town are vested in ninety- six commissioners, who are elected by their own body for life, under the act obtained in the year 1828. The Borough is governed by a High and Low Bailiff, two Constables, and Head- borough, who are appointed annually by the Court Leet, which consists of the Low Bailiff, and a jury of his choosing. The Court Leet belongs to the Lord of the Manor. A Court of Requests is held every Friday, for the recovery of debts under 51.; and the County Magistrates hold Petty Sessions for the division, each Monday and Thursday, at the Public Office. The town has a Local Act for the relief of the Poor, under which 108 Guardians are elected by the Ratepayers triennially. The Guardians divide themselves into Sectional Committees, which usually assemble weekly for the transaction of parochial business. The annual sum raised for the relief of the poor is about 40,000/. The town is incorporated by Royal Charter, granted, upon petition of the inhabitants, by her present Majesty, in pursuance of the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act, 5 and 6 William IV. The Charter bears date the 31 st of October, 1838, and incorporates the inhabitants by the title of “ The Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the borough of Birmingham.” The Municipal and Parliamentary Borough are identical. The Charter divides the Borough into thirteen wards, and the Town Council consists of a mayor, sixteen aldermen, and forty-eight councillors. The first election took place on the twenty sixth of December, 1838, when every ward was contested by the Reformers and Conservatives; the former however carried the election in every instance. The Council, at its first meeting, T 206 BIRMINGHAM. elected William Scholefield, Esquire, Mayor, and William Redfern, Esquire, Town Clerk, and have since petitioned the Crown for a separate Court of Quarter Sessions. Twenty-six Borough Magistrates have been appointed, twenty of whom were recommended by the Town Council. The Charter grants a Court of Record for the trial of Civil Actions before the Mayor every week, for the recovery of all sums not exceeding 20/. R, K. Douglas, Esquire, has been appointed by the Council to the office of Registrar of the said Court, but it is expected that the opening of the Court will not take place until the grant of Quarter Sessions, and the appointment of a Recorder, which is almost daily expected. There are sixteen Churches altogether in the borough. The old parish Church, St. Martin’s, is an ancient building, situated at the bottom of the Bull Ring in Digbeth. It has a lofty tower and spire, the former of which is cased with brick. There is a considerable amount of burial ground round it, which is walled and railed in. The living is a valuable rectory. In 1715, St. Philip’s was erected on a large square piece of ground, four acres in extent, at the top of Temple-street. The building is large and lofty, of the Corinthian style, with a dome and cupola. The triennial musical festivals for the support of the General Hos¬ pital, used to be held here, before the Town Hall was built. This living is a valuable rectory. In 1735, St John’s Chapel, in Deritend, on the south side of the river Rea, was erected. In 1749, St. Bartholomew’s Chapel was built, on the east side of the town; and in 1774, St. Mary’s, a very large octagon-shaped structure, was erected, to the east of Snow-hill. St. Paul’s is a very handsome edifice, and has a noble and lofty spire, which is one of the architectural ornaments of the town. It was built in 1776, but not completed until 1823, and stands on the side of a hill considerably north of St. Philip’s. There is now a handsome square of houses round it. Christ Christ, at the corner of New-street and Ann-street, was begun in 1805, and completed in 1816, and is a large, plain, and commodious stone building, with a very heavy and lofty spire. The whole of the lower part of this building consists of free seats. St. James’s Chapel, Ashted, is a chapel-of-ease to Aston Church, and was completed in 1810. St. George’s is a handsome Gothic build¬ ing, with a lofty tower, of the style of Edward III., in the north¬ east part of the town, where were formerly St. George’s Fields and Hangman’s Lane. Trinity Chapel, Bordesley, is a very handsome Gothic building, which would do credit to the thir¬ teenth century, and is an object of great admiration. St. Peter’s, BIRMINGHAM. 207 Dale End, is a Grecian temple, which was completed in 1827, and injured by fire in 1831, but is now restored, St. Thomas’s at Holloway Head, which is one of the finest specimens of Grecian architecture, was built in 1829, and will hold 2000 persons. In 1833, a large and handsome brick building, on the road to Soho, was erected, called All Saints. There is a hand¬ some Church, built near Gosta Green, in memory of the late bishop of the diocese, Dr. Ryder, and called Bishop Ryder’s Church. There are, besides, the old and the new Church, at Edgbaston,and Aston Church. Probably, few places in the king¬ dom are so well supplied with church accommodation as Bir¬ mingham, or have such a diligent body of clergy. The Dissenting places of worship are very numerous. There are two Catholic Chapels, St. Peter’s, in Broad-street, and St. Chad’s, in Bath-street; eight Wesleyan Methodist Chapels, one New Connexion, and one belonging to the Wesleyan Association. The principal Methodist chapels are, one in Cherry-street, a large building which will contain 2000 persons; one in Belmont-row, which will hold 1000; and one in Constitution-hill. There are five Baptist Chapels; Cannon-street, the original one, and Bond- street, are two good, substantial plain buildings; Mount Zion Chapel, Newhall-hill, a splendid massive octagon temple; Zion Chapel, Newhall-street; and a small place in Lombard-street. There are three Independent Chapels; Carr’s Lane, a large and lofty place with an exceedingly massive heavy front; Ebenezer Chapel, in Steelhouse-lane ; and Livery-street, which was once a riding school. The Unitarians have four places of worship, two of which are handsome buildings, the Old Meeting and the New Meeting, the latter of which was burnt in the riots. There is a very large and handsome Chapel in Newhall-street, where the followers of the celebrated Irving meet; and there is a hand¬ some little Scotch Chapel in Broad-street, a good sized Chapel in King-street, belonging to Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion, a New Jerusalem Church, in Summer-lane, and a Quakers’ Meet¬ ing-house in Bull-street. Many other places are to be found, but as our notice of churches and chapels here, relates more especially to their celebrity as public buildings, we hope none will feel offended at being passed over. In another place will he found a list of all the places of worship in the town and neigh¬ bourhood, with the names of the ministers and their residences, and the times of public service. The Town Hall. This magnificent building, which is situated at the top of New-street, in Paradise-street, is the great ornament of the town, and is so lofty and large, that it is seen 208 BIRMINGHAM. TOWN HALL. from almost every part of it. It is a rectangular building, after the model of the Temple of Jupiter Stator, at Rome; and is 160 feet long, 100 broad, and 83 high. There is a massive base¬ ment 23 feet in height, on which stands the temple, encompassed by thirty-two fluted Corinthian columns of Anglesea marble, 36 feet high, and 3J feet in diameter, which support an entablature or cornice of nine feet, and a pediment or roof of 15 feet. The building is composed of bricks, made from the clay which was dug out for its foundation, and is faced with Anglesea marble. The front has an arcade of a double piazza, which increases the length of the base. The interior contains a noble hall, vast and sublime in appearance, 145 feet long, 65 wide, and 65 high, containing a large orchestra capable of holding 400 performers, with a lofty, wide, and deep recess for the organ, which is one of the finest in the world; a spacious front gallery, capable of containing 1,200 persons, and two side galleries which will hold 300 each. There are twenty-seven windows, and the spaces between them are ornamented with fluted Corinthian pilasters and massive and elegant candelabra, which are supplied with gas. The ceiling is a splendid yet chaste piece of ornamental modelling, but the walls are plain to tameness. Large and lofty corridors and stair cases and upper corridors to the different galleries are on each side, supported by rows of pillars. There BIRMINGHAM. 209 is one very large and lofty room on the ground floor, beneath the organ gallery, and several committee rooms, as well as apart¬ ments for the residence of the hall keeper. The design of the building was furnished by Messrs. Hansom and Welch, of Liverpool, and afterwards they contracted for its erection. The columns were fluted by machinery, invented for the purpose by Mr. Hansom, and worked by steam power. A moveable crane, on a railway, was placed at the top of the building as it rose, for drawing up the materials, which facilitated the progress very much. It was begun in 1832, and finished in 1835. The building cost upwards of 20,000/., or perhaps 25,000/., although the contract was for 18,000/., and the contractors became bankrupt in consequence of their under¬ taking. Here are held the great musical festivals and public meetings; and perhaps Europe does not possess another such saloon for these purposes. It is difficult to decide which is the most sub¬ lime sight, the assembled nobility and gentry with the ranks of elegantly dressed ladies, that attend the musical festivals, or the dense mass of faces arid hands that occasionally appear in the public meetings, especially when of a political nature. It will hold about 4,000 persons sitiing, but more than 8,000 when standing close. The Organ is a most magnificent instrument, at the upper part of the orchestra, composed of a lofty circular front and wings, with Corinthian capitals. It is 45 feet high, 35 wide, and 15 deep, and contains 2,636 pipes and 40 bells. The larg¬ est wooden pipe is three feet square, and 32 feet high, and when looked down into from the gallery over it, appears like the shaf t of a mine. The largest metal pipe is the central one in front, which is 35 feet high, and 21 inches or nearly two feet in dia¬ meter. The sound from either of these pipes causes the whole building to vibrate, and the windows answer most distinctly to each undulation. The great organ has 17 stops, 1,427 pipes, and 22 ranks. The choir organ has nine stops, 594 pipes, and nine ranks. The swell organ has ten stops, 450 pipes, and ten ranks, some of which do not reach very low, and forty bells. The pedal organ is composed of two octaves of three stops of thirty-two feet, open wood diapason, metal, and reed, containing seventy-five pipes. The combination organ contains twenty-one stops, and possesses advantages rarely found in the mixtures and combinations of sound and power. There are thus forty real stops, with ranks of pipes, and twenty-one which only com¬ bine or separate them. t 2 210 BIRMINGHAM. TOWN HALL ORGAN. There are four beds of keys, sixteen feet from the organ, a small bed of pedal keys, apart from the lowest bed, for another performer, and a corresponding bed of pedals for the same notes. The reed, trumpet, and cremona stops are very fine, and are scarcely equalled for strength and richness; but the posaune is a stop which far excels every thing of the kind that is known in the world, being equal in tone to one half of the whole organ, and surpassing in power many entire large organs. The fine deep rich trombone effect of the instrument is owing entirely to this, which has a grandeur, majesty, and sublimity about it that makes it invaluable for choruses. The instrument is capable of the finest and most delicate touches of the octave flute, and the most terrific blast of the trumpet. When the whole of the keys are pressed down at once, an awful clap of thunder is produced. The interior is composed of three stories, to which corresponding stair-cases lead, and there is room to walk about from one place to another, and sur¬ vey the various departments with their forests of pipes. The roar of the organ, to a person placed in the midst of it, when thunder is being imitated, is such as to make him imagine that the whole building is being blown to pieces by an explosion. BIRMINGHAM. 211 The builder of this noble instrument is Mr. Hill, of London, who only received 3,000/. for his skill and execution. Mr. Hollins, the organist, is one of the first performers in Europe; and from his intimate knowledge of the instrument, plays it to the very best advantage, producing effects which no one but himself is capable of. The instrument may be heard, on payment of one shilling, every Thursday, from one to two o’clock, when Mr. Hollins displays its powers. It is the property of the Governors of the Hospital, and was erected expressly for the Musical Festivals, which are held for the support of that institution. The School of Medicine and Surgery was established in the year 1828, the first building erected for its use being in Snow hill. A larger and more commodious building in Para¬ dise-street is now fitted up with extensive Museums of Natural History, Comparative Anatomy, and Library, Laboratory, Dis¬ secting Rooms, &c. The school received the royal patronage of his late Majesty, William IV., and it is by his command called “ The Royal School of Medicine and Surgery, at Birmingham.” The following gentlemen are the present professors in the several departments:— Anatomy. Physiology and Materia Medica Anatomical Demonstrations, &c. Chemistry and Pharmacy Principles and Practice of Physic Midwifery & Diseases of Women Principles & Practice of Surgery Ophthalmic Surgery.R. Middlemore, F.R.C.S. Forensic Medicine 4 . .. John Birt Davies, M.D. Vegetable Physiology & Botany G. B. Knowles, F.L.S. Comparative Anatomy .. .. L. Parker, M R.C.S. Mathematics .Rev. W. Lawson. M.A. W. S. Cox, F.R.S. James Johnstone, M.D. W. S. Cox, F.R.S. John W t oolrich. John Eccles, M.D. J. T. Ingleby, F.R.C.S. W. S. Cox, F.R.S. The establishment is under the management of a President, Vice-President, Council, and Visiters. Natural History Museum , in connexion with the Royal School of Medicine, Paradise-street. This Museum is open daily, from eleven to four o’clock, to shareholders and subscribers, and to the public on the following terms : Single Admission for Adults, Is.—Children, 6d. Annual Personal Admission, 5s. The Society of Arts , in New-street, This is a fine looking building, of the Corinthian order, with a projecting portico, supported by four elegant lofty columns. The interior consists of a large central circular room, with a domed roof, and three 212 BIRMINGHAM. other apartments, adapted for the display of paintings during the exhibitions, which are held in the autumn. There is a large circular room devoted to models of sculpture, where the students of the institution attend. It is supported by voluntary contri¬ butions. The Theatre , in New-street, is a large and elegant edifice, with a long colonnade and balcony in front, supported by two pairs of Ionic columns; and the interior is fitted up in the style of the London theatres, having two tiers of boxes, and is capable of holding 2,000 persons. A full house, at the usual prices, would produce 250/. The Post Office , which is a neat plain square building, with a portico and four pillars, is situated at the corner of New-street and Bennett’s-hill, and has been considerably enlarged since the opening of the Railways. There are now three receivals and deliveries daily from and for London, Liverpool, and Manchester, and the amount of business is constantly increasing. The News Room , in Bennett’s-hill, is a very handsome and spacious building, of the Ionic order, having four lofty columns in front, and six on the side, and is enclosed by iron palisadings. The principal room, where the papers are kept, is very capacious and commodious, and there is a constant supply of the daily and other newspapers, Foreign as well as English. It is supported by subscriptions of two guineas per annum. Infant Schools are established in many parts of the town, but the principal institutions are in Ann- street, Islington, St. George’s, and Cherry-street. Upwards of 350 children are instructed, the expense of which is defrayed by public subscriptions and the payment of two pence a week by each child. There is a Medical Library , at the School of Medicine, Para¬ dise-street, for the use of the medical profession, and a Law Library , in Waterloo-street, for the use of the legal profession, both of which are very valuable. The Savings Bank is in Temple-row, and is open every Monday and Thursday, between the hours of twelve and two. The Athenceum , for the diffusion of Literature and Science, was established in March, 1839, and monthly courses of Lec¬ tures are delivered at the room, Temple-row. There is also a News Room connected with the institution. The New Library. This institution is situated in Temple- row West, and is similar to the Old Library, but of much smaller extent. The Stamp Office is in Colemore-row. The Blue Coat School, which is a large building, occupying BIRMINGHAM. 213 the east side of St. Philip’s Churchyard, was erected in part in the year 1724, and has been considerably enlarged since then. It is for the reception of poor children, and accommodates upwards of 200. It is supported by bequests, subscriptions, and collections at the churches. The children are taught the plain and simple elements of education, and the religion of the Established Church. The Old Library . This is a handsome structure, in Union- street, with large and lofty rooms, with every accommodation for reading, and a fine collection of books amounting to 18,000 volumes. It is supported by annual subscriptions. The cele¬ brated Dr. Priestley was the principal founder of this institution. The Infirmary for Diseases of the Eye is situated in Cannon- street. The surgeons are Messrs. Hodgson, Ledsam, and Middlemore. The Philosophical Institution . This is an institution for the diffusion of scientific knowledge amongst the middle and higher classes. Lectures are delivered every season. There is a hand¬ some Theatre, a large Museum, with collections of fossils, and minerals, &c., a Library, Reading Room, and Laboratory. It is situated in Cannon-street. Mechanics' Institute. This is an institution for the improve¬ ment of the working classes. Spacious premises have recently been purchased in New Hall-street, which are now admirably adapted to the required purpose. The advantages offered to the members are—classes every evening for instructing the youth in writing, arithmetic, drawing, grammar, the mathematics, and French; lectures on one evening in each week; the use of a large and valuable Library, and attendance upon a News and Reading Room, besides admission to a valuable Museum. Other advantages are likewise in contemplation, which will much increase the usefulness of this excellent institution. The Assay Office , in Cannon-street, is the place to which all goods which are manufactured of gold and silver are obliged to be taken to be marked, to prevent imposition. Seventeen shil¬ lings per ounce is paid for gold, and one shilling and sixpence for silver work. Excise Establishment !, Offices, 102, New-street. Charles Instan, Esq., Collector, Mr. Moffat Peters, Clerk. Hours of attendance for transacting public business from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mr. .Iohn Terry, Supervisor, 1 District, Spring Hill, Mr. Josiah Lowe, Supervisor, 2 District, Lee Bank, 214 BIRMINGHAM. Mr. Stephen Burnett, Supervisor, 3 District, 302, Summer-lane, Mr. John Evans, Supervisor, 4 District, Heneage-street, Mr. John Forbes, Supervisor, 5 District, Deritend. Permit Writers —Mr. Edward Meredith, Mr. Thomas Dibble, and Mr. William Austen. FREE SCHOOL. The Free School . This building, which is composed of a peculiar white stone, brought from Darley Dale, in Derbyshire, is the most elegant structure in the town, and one of the most beautiful in the kingdom. It is a mixture of the collegiate, civil, and ecclesiastical pointed architecture, and is usually described as pure Gothic. It is a regular quadrangular figure, 174 feet in front, 125 feet in flank or side, and sixty feet high. The main body of the front elevation is composed of two stories, each having a handsome series of seven windows, enriched with tra¬ cery corresponding to its order of composition. The wings project forward as far as the buttress, forming gable ends, and are of the same height as the main building. Each wing has a lofty oriel window, two stories high; but the ordinary windows are plain and rectangular. The windows of the flank or side are like the ordinary windows of the wings, and are in three tiers. The back front is similar to the principal front in its elevation, buttresses, and wings, but has seven large pointed windows in the first floor, and in the lower story there is a series of open arches forming a covered court, and a range of cloisters. The windows belonging to the first story are very low, compared BIRMINGHAM. 215 with the second, and the arches are flat or obtuse angled. The windows of the second story are much more lofty, but of the same shape as the others. These windows are separated by buttresses, which form each space into a separate compartment; and as the buttresses ascend, they diminish at each story with triangular facings, and terminate in lofty pinnacles above the embattled parapet which surrounds the building. The principal entrance is by the central compartment between the bases of two buttresses, under a handsome porch into a ves¬ tibule. Two large apartments, with oak pannelled walls and ceilings, one on the right and the other on the left, are the school rooms for commercial education and instruction in modern lan¬ guages. Still further on we come to a large and handsome cor¬ ridor, with a groined ceiling wrought in stone, and sides of window work with richly painted glass, which leads to the grand stone staircase, by which we descend to the vaulted court below, or ascend to the apartments above. In ascending, we come to another corridor of the same work as the one below, but much longer and more lofty, leading to the two grand rooms of the building. A large open square court is on each side of the cor¬ ridors, between them and the wings, so as to furnish light and air to the interior of the building. The Grammar School is at the rear, and is directly over the vaulted court below. It is 120 feet long, forty-five feet high, and thirty feet wide, and has a lofty angular roof supported by a series of magnificent obtuse angled arches of the Tudor style. At the end, where the chair of the head master is placed, there is a handsome lofty oak carved screen, behind which is a platform for visitors, and for a draw¬ ing class. The second master’s chair is opposite to this, and the four ushers’ chairs are on the sides. The desks and forms for the boys occupy the intermediate space, and are capable of ac¬ commodating 230 pupils. Another large apartment is in front, and is intended to be the library. It is 102 feet long, thirty-one high, and twenty-five wide, and contains the grand second series of windows. The ceiling is a noble low flat arch of oak, pannelled in squares, with arched beams to sustain it. The roofs, ceilings, and pannels, are made of oak and plaister, and the arches chiefly of iron; the whole being painted and varnished to such perfection, that they have the appearance of the finest sort of the noble wood which they are intended to imi¬ tate. The reason for this imitation was simply necessity, there not being oak enough in the neighbourhood for the purpose. The wings are appropriated for the residences of the head and 216 BIRMINGHAM. second masters, and are fitted up very handsomely with oak furniture. The whole of this magnificent structure cost upwards of 50,000/. The building is from the design of Mr. Barry, of London. The founder of this School was Edward VI., who gave the property of the “ Guild of the Holy Cross,” one of the monas¬ teries which had been suppressed, for the purpose of educating the youth of Birmingham in sound learning and true religion. At that time the value of the income was 21/., but since then, 1552, by the progress of the town, and by additional bequests, the income, which is now 5000/., and in two years more will be 9,000/., by the falling in of leases, is expected in the year 1850, to be nearly 40,000/., per annum; an enormous revenue, suffi¬ cient to give the most complete education to all classes in the town. The School is under the management of twenty governors and the Bishop of the Diocese. There are a head and second mas¬ ter, and four ushers, for the classical department; and also masters for the modern languages and commercial departments. The scholars are not admitted until they are eight years of age, and can read and write their own language; nor are they allowed to stay beyond the age of nineteen. There are ten yearly exhibitions of 50/. each, with a residence at Oxford or Cambridge for four years. Annual examinations are made by three resident members of one of the Universities. The Court of Requests is situated in High-street. This is a court for the summary recovery of sums under 51. It is held every Friday, before the commissioners of that court. The Dispensary. This handsome stone building is situated in Union-street, and was erected in the year 1808, at an expense of 8000/. Three physicians and six surgeons gratuitously attend the patients, from four to five thousand of whom are annually relieved. It is supported by subscriptions. The Market Hall. This building, which is constructed of free stone, from a design by Mr. Edge, of Birmingham, extends from High-street to Worcester-street, and is 360 feet long, 108 wide, and 28 high up to the roof. It is a plain Grecian struc¬ ture, with a deep base, and a projecting entablature, having one large and lofty Doric entrance in High-street, and another in Worcester-street, two similar entrances, with plain pyramidal projecting facades in Philip-street, and two in Bell-street to the under part of the building, and from thence by steps up to the Hall. The roof is composed of a lantern middle part for air and light, and has fifty-six windows on each side, and five at BIRMINGHAM. 217 MARKET HALL. each end, with seventeen large skylights at the top, and two side parts of the common angular construction, which have seventeen skylights each. The whole is sustained by seventeen series of beams, which are supported by seventeen pairs of iron pillars, 28 feet high, and 20 feet apart. There are twenty-six lofty cir¬ cular-headed windows on each side of the Hall, six at the north entrance and two at the south; and altogether there are 225 windows in the building. In Bell-street, the west side, there is a row of vaults, which are let for shops, twenty-three in number; and there are forty vaults under the building in a long range of cellaring, which are used as stores. In the body of the Hall there is room for accommodating 600 persons with stalls, and enough space left for three or four thousand persons to perambulate. The cost of the building was about 25,000/., and the erection occupied nearly two years. The annual rent paid for stalls may probably amount to 5,000/. or 6,000/. It is usually allowed to be one of the finest buildings in the kingdom, and is far superior to any thing of the kind out of London. The Statue erected to the memory of Nelson, in the Bull- ring, is a bronze figure by Westmacott, which, with its pedestal, palisadings, and lamps, cost about 3,000/., and was raised by subscriptions. The Baths at Lady Well are very extensive and commodious, u 218 BIRMINGHAM. and the spring that supplies them is so plentiful, that it for¬ merly furnished one half the town with soft water. There is a large and excellent swimming hath, which is 36 yards long and 18 wide. The Public Office , in Moor-street. This is a large and hand¬ some building, enclosed with iron palisading; it consists of a massive base, with two wide arched entrances, and a lofty story above, with a balcony in front, surmounted with a deep enta¬ blature, which is supported by five pairs of Ionic columns. There is a spacious court yard leading to the prison, which lies behind. The Public Office contains a large court room, where the magistrates hold their Sessions, and the Commissioners of the Insolvent Debtors’ Court sit; a capacious and lofty room where the Commissioners of the town transact their business, and eight or ten other ample and commodious rooms. The Protestant Dissenters' Charity School, in Park-street, was established for the purpose of clothing, maintaining, and edu¬ cating 40 girls. This institution will be removed to the top of Newhall-hill as soon as the new building, now in process of erection there, is completed. The Proof House. In Banbury-street, there are large premi¬ ses, where all fire-arms which are manufactured must be taken in order to be proved before they can be sold. Guns and pistols are here loaded and placed in a strong iron room, and by means of red-hot irons passed through apertures in the walls, are discharged, in order to ascertain if they are sound and will bear firing. One shilling per barrel is charged. The London and Birmingham Railway Station is situated in Duddeston Row. The Birmingham and Staffordshire Gas Company was estab¬ lished in the year 1825; the works are at West Bromwich, five miles from Birmingham; the offices are in the old Square. The Workhouse is a large and well-conducted institution in Lichfield-street, under the direction of 108 guardians, who are annually elected by the rate-payers of the town. The Cavalry Barracks. This place, which is situated in Ashted, near St. James’s Chapel, was established after the riots, for the location of 150 soldiers, in order to preserve the peace. The ground, buildings, and furniture, could not have cost less than 20,000/. The Vanxhall Gardens are situated at Ashted. The General Hospital. This noble building was commenced in the year 1776, and finished in the year 1791; it cost upwards of 12,000/, The funds for its support are obtained by public BIRMINGHAM. 219 subscriptions, and a triennial musical festival, the proceeds of which latter have varied from a few pounds to 5,000/. The Asylum , in Summer Lane, is a place for the reception and education of the destitute children of the parish. It con¬ tains generally about 200. The Cemetery is situated in Hockley. The grounds are beau¬ tifully laid out with walks, and extensive rows of vaults. There is an elegant Grecian chapel, where the services are performed. The Cemetery is chiefly designed for dissenters. It stands on the remains of the celebrated Key Hill, which was removed for sand. It is surrounded by a lofty stone wall, which has two entrances through strong gates, the side posts of which are adorned with pyramidical Grecian fayades. The Old Gas Works are situated in Broad-street, near the Worcester Canal, and were established in the year 1819. The Magdalen Asylum was established in the year 1828, at Islington. A Chapel has lately been erected in connexion with this institution, to which it is immediately contiguous. Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. This school for the in¬ struction of this unfortunate class of persons was established in the parish of Edgbaston, in consequence of a lecture which was delivered by the late Dr. De Lys. There are usually about 40 pupils: the institution is admirably conducted, and in a flourish¬ ing state. The oflice of the Society is at No. 30, Bennett’s Hill. The Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society . This Institution was established in the year 1829, for the purpose of encouraging the culture of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In the gardens of the society, at Edgbaston, which are very exten¬ sive, is a noble conservatory and extensive hothouses, which are composed wholly of metal and glass, and are universally admir¬ ed for their lightness and elegance; they were designed and executed by Mr. John Jones, formerly a partner in the firm of Jones and Clark, but now the manager of the extensive hot¬ house works of Mr. Clark, in Lionel-street. Public exhibitions for prizes are occasionally held at the Town Hall, but more fre¬ quently in the Gardens themselves, which are rendered still more attractive by the performance of a military band of first- rate excellence. Edgbaston Hall , the residence of Dr. Edward Johnstone, is a plain building, situated in the midst of a small but beautiful park, which abounds with fine timber, and has a fine sheet of water in front. This place was one of the scenes of contention between Charles and the Parliament, and before the landing of William III. it was burnt, in the fiery zeal of the mob against 220 BIRMINGHAM. popery. In 1791 it was plundered, and an attempt was made to set it on fire by the rioters, in order to extinguish Unita- rianism. Willmore’s Strawberry Gardens are near to Edgbaston Hall, and are open during the fruit season to visitors, on payment of one shilling. There are several acres of land appropriated to the cultivation of the strawberry, which has here long been celebrated for the richness of its flavour. These gardens are much frequented. Perrott's Folly , or Edgbaston Monument , is situated in Mon¬ ument Lane. The Lancasterian School, is a building in Severn-street where about 300 children receive instruction. Sunday Schools are connected with all the places of worship ; and consequently there must be upwards of sixty such insti¬ tutions. There are great numbers of Clubs and Benefit Societies estab¬ lished by the working classes, all of which have a tendency to encourage carefulness, prudence, and mutual assistance. In the neighbourhood of Birmingham there is so much that is interesting, that we can scarcely make a selection. We must, however, allude to a few particulars, and we first point attention to a piece of beautiful architecture— The Roman Catholic Col¬ lege, of Oscott. The present College was originally a private seminary; but about the year 1808, Dr. Milner, the late Bishop of this district, took the establishment under his direction, and appointed it the regular college for the education of his clergy. The plan of study was, however, so constituted, as to be adapted for either ecclesiastical or lay students. Since its first appropri¬ ation to the purpose of a college, the house has undergone many alterations, and at different times has been enlarged, till at length it has occupied the limited extent of ground attached to it. Be¬ ing still found too small for the accommodation of the increasing number of its students, Dr. Walsh, the present bishop of the diocese, determined on erecting a new college, on a much larger and more commodious plan. Accordingly, in the spring of 1835, the new building was commenced, under the direction of Mr. Potter, of Lichfield. It is situated about two miles distant from the old college, on the borders of Sutton Coldfield. The style of the building is Tudor Gothic. In its erection, a plain and substantial solidity has been more consulted than variety of ornament or richness of detail. The chapel, in which a greater proportion of decoration has been allowed, is 112 feet in length, by 33 in breadth; it is BIRMINGHAM. 221 adorned with rather curious specimens of oak carving, and with three stained windows, executed by Mr. Warrington, of London, which afford a very fine example of the improvement which has taken place in the long-forgotten art of colouring glass. The painting, plumbing, and glazing was executed in a very superior manner, and reflects high credit on Mr. T. Broadbent, of Bir¬ mingham, under whose superintendence it was finished. The length of the principal front of the building is 350 feet, and in the centre a tower rises to about the height of 100 feet. The interior arrangements, in which the plans of several foreign col¬ leges have been consulted, are made with the greatest attention to convenience. It is calculated that the college will easily ac¬ commodate 150 students, besides professors and other superiors. The course of studies followed at Oscott comprises, in addi¬ tion to the classical authors usually read in such establishments, the most approved writers in French, Italian, and German. The last two years of the course are devoted to the study of moral and natural philosophy, in their various branches, the higher departments of mathematics, and to the further perfect¬ ing of the previous studies in the classic and modern languages. The whole is conducted by professors resident in the house. Besides the general course above-mentioned, the ecclesiastical students are required to pass through a theological course,under professors appointed by the bishop. MANUFACTURES. The manufactures of Birmingham include the most delicate articles that are made of gold and silver, and the most ponder¬ ous ones of iron and brass. The gilt toy business is, perhaps, the most extensively followed, and there is no doubt but that the greater part of the world is supplied from this town with articles which are included under the denomination of gilt toy. button making is so peculiarly a business of Birmingham, that the workmen are distinguished by the appellative of “ Brummagem button makers.” Plating is a staple trade, at which a great number of hands are employed; and Gun making has been the means by which many persons have obtained considerable for¬ tunes. New branches of business are continually originating, by which the inventors usually rise to a state of affluence; we may mention as one of these, the making of Steel Pens , a branch of business which has succeeded beyond all expectation. Every process which can be performed by machinery, from the hammer and anvil to the ponderous rolling mill, is done here to the greatest perfection. u 2 222 BIRMINGHAM. The process of stamping the lighter kinds of articles, is a great improvement on the old method of casting them, as they are made much more rapidly and far more beautifully than before. Thus clasps, cloak pins, lock boxes, buttons, and most light or¬ namental articles, are stamped. Daily improvements are making in the stamping press, and there are instances where a gross of articles are now made in as short a period of time as was for¬ merly occupied in making a dozen. Intheart o i iron founding greatimprovements have been made; so that now light and elegant articles, bronzed over, are to be found, which equal any thing formerly made in brass. In plated articles constant improvements have been made by Messrs. Boulton and Watt, and some others, in the introduction of ornamental flowered work; and the new metallic mixture called albata has opened a wide field for skill and enterprise in the manufacture of spoons, forks, pencil cases, &c. Button making is a branch of manufacture of very consider¬ able consequence. From the common horn button to the richly wrought and chased gilt button, where a gross of the former costs less than a single one of the latter,—every part of the la¬ bour is so much facilitated by machinery, and each process of manufacture so much improved, that a stranger is astonished at the extraordinary accounts which are related of its powers. Japanning is a very considerable branch of business, and has improved of late years in elegance and durability. Artists of the first merit are employed at high salaries, to give effect to some of the higher sorts of work. Mr. Taylor, the father of James Taylor, Esq., gave great elegance and finish to the art, and Baskerville, the printer, introduced the papier rnachee, or paper board work, which is now got up to such a degree of perfection, that most of the sovereigns and aristocrats of Europe, and the wealthy of America purchase from Birmingham. Glass making and cutting are now carried on in a very supe¬ rior style. The improvements which the science of chemistry has occasioned in the manufacture of glass, and the inventions that have taken place in the art of cutting and polishing it, fur¬ nish us with specimens of glass toys far surpassing those of any other country. Within the last few years the manufacture of Steel Pens has increased to a very considerable extent, and there is every ap¬ pearance of its becoming equal in importance to any of the other staple trades of Birmingham. To give our readers an idea of the consumption of this article, now become so general in every department of society, we may state that Mr. Joseph Gillott, BIRMINGHAM. 223 of Birmingham, who is, we believe, the largest manufacturer of steel pens in the United Kingdom, and who has erected addi¬ tional and most extensive premises at the top of Newhall Hill, consumed, in the year 1837, in the manufacture of this article, forty tons of refined steel, from which were made 248,669 gross, or 35,808,458 pens. The pens are made from the best and most highly tempered steel, (which is obtained from the celebrated Park Works of Messrs. W. Jersop & Sons, of Sheffield,) and so great are the improvements which have been effected in reference to their elasticity and finish, that they have now almost entirely superseded the use of the quill. The arts of engraving , die sinking , or cutting the pattern in steel for stamps, and modelling , are in a high state of cultivation; and a new and beautiful art called engine turning is now prac¬ tised with great success. Wire drawing , the making of cut nails , screws , and pins, tubes for conveying gas, water, and for umbrellas, give occupation to large numbers. The machine by which cut nails are made, will probably in time supersede the tiresome pro¬ cess of nail making at the anvil, at which upwards of 20,000 men, women, and children are at present employed; these persons, it is to be hoped, will find better and more intelligent occupation by that time. Button shanks and chains , which were formerly manufactured by the hand, are now made by machinery, and as many grosses can now be produced in a given time as there were dozens formerly. The increased power given to mechanical processes by the steam engine, has produced a complete revolution in the manu¬ factures of Birmingham ; upwards of 110 steam engines, having an aggregate power of more than 2,000 horses, are employed in the different manufactories. The division of steam power is very curious, several persons in the same range of buildings, conduct¬ ing various manufactures, frequently employ the same engine. It is much to be regretted that the warm water from the condens¬ ing engines is not applied to some useful purpose. At a small expense warm baths might be contrived, in which the workmen might bathe at least once a week. SHOW ROOMS. Although there are manufactured in Birmingham the most splendid articles for show, yet there are not many splendid show rooms, as the business is done principally by orders to pattern. There are, however, some places of considerable attraction, a few of which we shall select, together with some processes of manu¬ facture which we think worthy of especial notice. 224 BIRMINGHAM. Messrs. Jennens fy Bettridge’s Royal Papier Machee and Japan Works , in Constitution Hill. The process of manufacture in this splendid and truly national establishment, is quite as inter¬ esting as the exquisitely finished specimens of art which are produced. The beautifully smooth polish of the various arti¬ cles, the rich colouring, and the design, taste, and execution of flowers, figures, and landscapes with which they are ornamented, justly entitle this place to the appellation of the Birmingham School of Fine Arts. Her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent were so much astonished at the execution of the paintings here, that they pronounced this establishment to be second only to the Academy of the Fine Arts; and Sir Francis Chantry, who visited it some time ago, expressed his high gratification at the progress that had been made since his previous visit. Marshal Soult and suite, and most of the foreign ambassadors have passed equally high encomiums on the talent, energy and spirit of the proprie¬ tors ; by whose liberality parties visiting it can obtain cards of introduction to other establishments, to add to the gratification of those who are making a short stay. Most of the steam pack¬ ets plying between Liverpool and Glasgow, have been decorated in the interior by this enterprising firm, in a far superior style of workmanship to any hitherto produced in England or on the continent. These show rooms are lit up with gas, and the rich¬ ness and brilliancy of the articles, especially the inlaid work in pearl, for which the proprietors have a patent, have a singularly striking appearance. Most of the hotels have cards, with maps showing the situation of their manufactory. See also Guide at the end of this volume. The very extensive manufactory of Messrs. Messenger fy Sons , in Broad-street, is highly deserving of notice. In this establish¬ ment are made all kinds of ornamental work in bronze and or molu , of the most classical designs and exquisite workmanship; together with chandeliers and lamps of every description, from the most superb and costly to the most plain and useful. The chasteness of style, and superiority of workmanship, which have been adopted in this establishment for a long series of years, have procured for the proprietors deserved reputation, with a large share of public patronage, as the palaces of royalty, and the mansions of the principal nobility of the kingdom, amply testify. Very numerous specimens of their work are also to be found in most of the European towns and cities, indeed in every part of the civilized globe. The manufactory of Messrs. Boulton Sf Watt , at Soho. It would be impossible for us to give the reader any thing like an BIRMINGHAM. 225 adequate idea of the extent of this place, of the wonderful per¬ fection to which mechanism has arrived there, or of the ingenuity and skill of the proprietors, without entering into details which the limits of this work prevent. The fame of the Soho Manu¬ factory has spread throughout the whole civilized world, and every individual more or less has partaken of the advantages which have resulted to society from the important discoveries which have taken place there. It is difficult to obtain permission to see the works. G. R. Collis’s Establishment , in Church-street, consists of one of the finest suite of elegant and magnificent show-rooms in the kingdom. The most beautiful and gorgeous specimens of art in gold and silver, and gold and silver plate, are displayed here in rich profusion. Dinner and tea services, and soft and sha¬ dowy ground-glass and silver-mounted candelabras, vases, and covers, appear more like the splendid fancies of imagination than the works of art. The most costly jewellery and personal ornaments, as well as the most massive services of plate, are ranged around. Each apartment has an attendant who accom¬ panies visitors, and points out the chief productions. A large room is occupied by the celebrated Warwick vase, a most stu¬ pendous work of art, which cost 4,000/. in constructing. The whole of this display is manufactured by the proprietors, who have most extensive premises around the establishment. There is a machine for making button-shanks, which receives the wire, and by one turn of the instrument forms and cuts off* the shank complete. This establishment was founded by Sir Edward Thomason , who was appointed silversmith and jeweller to the Royal Family, and to most of the sovereigns in Europe. Any respectable person may obtain admission. Her Majesty and the Duchess of Kent visited this establishment, and most of the English nobility, as well as those foreigners of distinction who have been in this country, have thought it an object worthy of their inspection. The medalling department is very interesting. The spacious and truly elegant show rooms of Messrs. Ed- vmrds , Ball fy Co., jewellers, silversmith, cutlers, &c., situate in High-street, offer to the inspection of the visitor a very exten¬ sive, as well as novel selection of articles, both of ornament and utility, which for their richness and variety cannot be surpassed. This emporium, (the oldest of its kind) has been established nearly a century, and formerly was known as the “ Toy Shop of Europe,” or “ Birmingham in miniature.” Messrs. Rollason, in Steelhouse-lane, have a very extensive suite of rooms, for the display of cut glass, in their own peculi- 226 BIRMINGHAM. arly beautiful manufacture; and also a great variety of all the modern productions in china, including the justly celebrated Coalport—of which they are the sole venders in, or near, Bir¬ mingham,—earthenware, bronze, and lamps. The rooms are laid out with great taste and elegance, and are well worthy a visit; the proprietors being always happy to show them to strangers. To purchasers they profess to offer very superior advantages. Her Majesty and her illustrious mother visited this establishment, and expressed themselves highly pleased. Mr. John Blake way's Lamp and Chandelier Manufactory , in Edgbaston-street, contains a fine assortment of elegant and splendid specimens of the taste, ingenuity and skill, of the designers and artizans in this branch of manufacture. Many large orders have been executed by Mr. Blakeway, for the sovereigns and nobility of foreign countries, in consequence of the fame of his work. His execution in brass and bronze is exceedingly beau¬ tiful, and merits the attention of the admirer of the elegant and useful. The extensive and superb show rooms of Messrs. Parker and Sons , of Summer-row, for all kinds of silver and plated wares, and British plate, will afford the visitor a very high gratification. The extreme beauty of design and chasteness displayed in many of the articles, added to the variety which is seen here, of the most costly and ornamental, as well as of the most useful, evince in an eminent degree the taste and spirit of the proprietors, who are always happy to shew their rooms to strangers. The establishment of Messrs. Mapplebeckfy Lowe, in the Bull Ring, is filled with choice selections of the finest articles of Bir¬ mingham and Sheffield ware, of the latest patterns. Stove grates of the most elegant and commodious kind; fenders and fire irons; cutlery of every description, the most costly and ornamental as well as the more plain and useful; elegant bronzed tea urns, and best Sheffield Britannia metal wares; trays of the most splendid description oipapier machee; silver,plated, and German silver work; splendid lamps, candelabras, and lustres; gentle¬ men’s chests of tools; and every article of ornament or conve¬ nience; and the most complete establishment for furnishing gentlemen’s seats, halls, houses, &c. They are the sole agents of the celebrated cutlers, Messrs. Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Shef¬ field, and other distinguished manufacturers. The proprietors are glad to show their rooms to any visitors, who may by them be accommodated with cards of admission to many of the manu¬ factories. The nobility and gentry who pass through Birming¬ ham, may spend half an hour very pleasantly in visiting this BIRMINGHAM. 227 mart of elegant hardware furniture, which will give them a high idea of the state of this department of trade in Birmingham. R. W. Winfield's Show Rooms, at his works in Cambridge- street, Crescent, contain specimens of his patent metallic mili¬ tary travelling and house bedsteads, so much in use at home and abroad; with many other articles of furniture in brass, bronze, or molu , and in imitation of silver; together with gas fittings of every description, and a variety of other articles made at his manufactory. Bedsteads have been made at the manu¬ factory for members of the Royal Family and foreign potentates. The portable ones so admirably adapted for use in the camp, or in travelling, are preferred by officers in the army and navy. The various processes at the manufactory are very interesting; and the show rooms and works have been inspected by many of the nobility and others,visiting (or passing through) Birmingham. At the Iron Foundry and extensive Manufactory of Mr. W. C. Day , of Suffolk-street, for all kinds of scales, scalebeams, steelyards, weighing machines, English and Foreign weights, &c., very considerable improvements have been made in the manufacture of many of the articles, particularly in weighing machines for road waggons. This house, which carries on an immense foreign as well as home trade, fully sustains the high reputation which it has long had for the superiority of their various goods which are manufactured on the premises. Mr. William Ryland's Show Rooms, for all kinds of plated articles and British plated wares, exhibit proofs of great taste and elegance. We understand that the proprietor of this establish¬ ment has, with considerable difficulty and expense, succeeded in producing his British plate not only more durable than that hitherto made, but nearly equal in colour to silver. Clark's Metallic Hothouse and Copper Sash Manufactory , Lionel-street. This interesting and important concern, which has been established upwards of twenty years, has been recently placed by its spirited proprietor under the able management of Mr. John Jones, whose taste and skill in this peculiar branch of architecture are universally acknowledged. The extensive ranges of horticultural buildings in the Botanical Gardens, both of Birmingham and Manchester, were designed by this gentleman, and executed under his immediate superintendance. We are authorised by Mr. Clark to say that he will be at all times happy to shew to strangers the various mechanical processes carried on in his establishment. At the establishment of Mr. Thomas Twiss , of Great Charles- street, is to be seen an extensive and beautiful assortment of all 228 BIRMINGHAM. kinds of plated wares, carriage lamps, lanterns, wire gauze dish covers, &c. The exquisite finish and peculiar beauty of many of the articles, exhibit considerable taste and ingenuity. This house has long been celebrated for the superiority of the different branches of its manufacture; and their usefulness and durability are tested by the many years which it has been established. Rodgers and Co's Brace and Belt Manufactory , in Broad- street. This useful and ingenious establishment is well worthy of a visit. The introduction of India rubber into the process of weaving is a very important improvement, and the power looms which are employed produce some very fine work. The firm are always disposed to shew any respectable person the whole process of their manufactory. Messrs. Daft and Son's Metallic Hothouse Manufactory and Iron Works , near the Town Hall, is of the most extensive and interesting nature. It is scarcely possible for us to give an ade¬ quate idea of the beauty, elegance, and taste displayed in their various branches of manufacture, which have received the en¬ comiums of most of the nobility and gentry of the United Kingdom. There are also other articles made, in addition to those connected with the flower garden; and we particularly noticed an alarm and thief-detector combined, and also a metallic easy chair, both of which have a very elegant appearance, and shew great ingenuity. Souter's Japan and Paper Button Manufactory , 8, Regent Parade. In this establishment, where there are extensive show rooms, the papier machee is converted into a great variety of fancy articles, as trays, tables, screens, cruet frames, umbrella hooks, buttons, which are ornamented with various devices in painting, gilding, and aurora pearl. Every button goes through more than twenty-four pair of hands in making. Two thousand gross per week have been made in this manufactory, employing from 150 to 200 people. The Pin Manufactory of Messrs. Phipson; the Cut Nail Manufactory of Mr. Jones ; the Screw Manufactory of Messrs. Ledsam ; the Button Manufactories of Messrs. Hammond, Tur¬ ner, and Son, and F. Ledsam, are all very curious and interesting, but they are seen with difficulty; not perhaps so much from jealousy of their secrets being discovered, as from the interrup¬ tion which visitors occasion. The Glass Works deserve particular attention. Mr. Rice Harris's works, at Islington; Messrs. Bacchus and Green's estab¬ lishment, at Ashted; and Messrs. Gammon and Son's, at Belmont Works, are all employed in the manufacture of Flint Glass, BIRMINGHAM. 229 which is used for glasses, decanters, chandeliers, &c. Messrs. Chance , of Smethwick, have large establishments for the manu¬ facture of Crown Window Glass, French Shades, and British Plate Glass . The impossibility of specifying the various and increasing manufactures of Birmingham renders it an ungrateful task to make selections, because we are sure to appear inviduous, how¬ ever much we may wish to avoid it. PLACES OF NOTE ADJACENT TO BIRMINGHAM. The tourist will find the following places well worthy his attention, and to which coaches are daily passing. The figures denote the miles distant from Birmingham. The Ruins of Kenilworth Castle, 18. The Ruins of Dudley Castle, 9. Warwick Castle, 20. Guy’s Cliff, near Warwick, 21. Lichfield Cathedral, 17. Leamington Spa, 22. Hagley Park, 12. INNS The Royal Hotel, New Royal ditto. Stork, Hen and Chickens, Swan, Albion, Nelson, Castle, Saracen’s Head St. George’s Tavern, Union, White Hart, George, Woolpack, King’s Head, Woolpack, Temple-row, New-street, Old Square, New-street, High-street & New-st. High street, High-street, High-street, Bull-street, High-street, Union-street Digbeth, Digbeth, Moor-street, Worcester-street, St. Martin’s Lane, > The principal Family $ Houses. Family & Commercial Coach, Family, and Commercial. J ► Chiefly Commercial. COMMERCIAL BOARDING HOUSES. J. Jones, 12, Union Passage; Misses E. and C. Puddicombe, (Private and Commercial), Clarendon Hotel, Temple-street. J. Smith, 72, Newhall-street; — Glover, 118, New-street. x 230 BIRMINGHAM. LIST OF NEWSPAPERS. Monday — Aris’s Gazette —An old established Conservative Com¬ mercial Paper, which never has a Political Leader —Weekly cir¬ culation, upwards of 3000. Thursday — The Midland Counties Herald —A business paper, having a circulation of from 5000 to 6000 copies weekly. Any thing relating to business, commerce, or science and literature, may find its way into its pages, but nothing political is admitted. -Birmingham Advertiser —Thoroughly Tory. The or¬ gan of the Conservative Association. Conducted with consider¬ able spirit and energy. Weekly circulation, 1700. Saturday — Birmingham Journal —Thoroughly Radical. The organ of the Political Union. Is conducted with great ability, indepen¬ dence and energy. Circulation, upwards of 3000 weekly. Friday — Birmingham Times and Ten Towns Messenger.— Conservative. Weekly circulation 1800. BANKERS, WITH THE HOUSES WHICH THEY DRAW UPON IN LONDON. Taylor and Lloyds, Dale-end Hanburys, Taylors & Lloyds Attwoods, Spooner and Co., New-street Spooner, Attwoods & Co. J. L. Moilliett and Son, Cherry-street Sir J. W. Lubbock & Co. Birmingham Banking Co., Bennett’s-hill Jones, Lloyd & Co. Birmingham Borough Bank, Bull-street Prescott & Co. Nat. Prov. Bank of Birm., Bennett’s-hill Hanburys, Taylors & Lloyds Birm. Town & Dist. Bank, Colemore-row Barclay, Bevan & Co. Birm. and Mid. Banking Co., Union-st. Williams, Deacon & Co. Branch Bank of England, Bennett’s-hill. Bank hours from half-past 9 till 4, excepting those of the Branch Bank of England, which are from 9 till 3. Savings’ Bank, Temple-row, open on Monday and Thursday, from Twelve till Two o’clock. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, & MARRIAGES, FOR THE BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT. Superintendent Registrar’s Office, No. 30, Bennett’s-hill, open from 10 till 4. Superintendent Registrar , Mr. W. Pare, 30, Bennett’s-hill. Deputy Superintendent Registrar, Mr. J. W. Showell, 48, New-street. Registrars of Marriages far the whole District of Birmingham: —Mr. J. Ryland, 37, Cherry-street:—Mr. Maher, 5, Congreve-street. Registrars of Births and Deaths :— Mr. John White, 41, Hall-street, for .All Saints’ District Thomas Sansom, 146, Great Hampton-row, St. George’s District BIRMINGHAM. 231 Registrars of Births and Deaths continued Mr. William Williams, 13, Upper Priory, for.. St. Mary’s District Joseph Smith, 72, Newhall-street, lor _St. Paul’s District Joseph Gell, 28, Cannon-street, for .St. Philip’s District George Bynner, 16, Bartholomew-row, for St. Peter’s District Paul Gardener, 167, Bristol-street, for .... St. Martin’s District Edward Penn, 20, Bristol-street, for.St. Thomas’s District George M. Ryder, 19, Parade, for.Lady Wood District POST OFFICE, BENNETT’S HILL. The following statement shews the time of arrival and departure of the various Mails. The Letter-box closes at 10 even, for the dispatch of the London and Bristol Mails, and half an hour previous to the departure of any of the other Mails. DELIVERIES. The delivery of Letters from the Office Window commences at seven a.m. with the letters brought by the Bristol and London Mails. Letters by the other Mails are ready for delivery in 30 minutes after their arrival until 10 p.m. at which period this window is closed. There are two general deliveries by letter-carriers within the town, the first commencing at eight morn., and the second at about a quar¬ ter after five aftern., except on Sundays, when there is no afternoon delivery. W T hen any delay occurs in the arrival of the mails, a corresponding delay will necessarily occur in the delivery. ARRIVALS. Bristol Mail, 17m. past 1 morn—with bags from Falmouth, Salis¬ bury, Exeter, Bath, Bristol, Wootton, Dursley, Gloucester, Chelten¬ ham, Tewkesbury, Worcester, DroitwicH, Bromsgrove. London (Carlisle) Mail, 50m. past 2 morn.—Barnett, St. Alban’s,, Northampton, Towcester. First G. J. Railway Mail , due 10m. past 8 morn.—Dublin, (when the Packet reaches Liverpool in time), Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington, Preston, Newcastle, Stafford, Wolverhamp¬ ton, Walsall. Chipping-Norton Mail, 23m. past 10 mom—Oxford, Woodstock. Chipping-Norton, Shipston, Stratford-on-Avon. Messenger from Bilston, Wednesbury and Westbromwich, 12 noon. Second G. J. Railway Mail , due 30m. past 3 even—Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington, Stafford, Wolverhampton, 232 BIRMINGHAM. Post Office continued. London (via Chester, to Holyhead) Mail, at 30m. past 3 even (with a foreign hag from London.) Yarmouth Mail, 2m. past 5 even—Grantham, Leicester, Hinckley. Leamington Mail, 10 even—Leamington, Warwick, Solihull. Tamworth Mail, 20m. past 10 even—Tamworth. Stourport Mail, 30m. past 10 even—Stourport, Bewdley, Kidder¬ minster, Stourbridge, Dudley. Worcester Mail, 30m. past 10 even—Worcester, Droitwich, Broms- grove, Holyhead Mail, 30m. past 10 even—Holyhead, Bangor, Corwen, Llangollen, Chirk, Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Shiffnall, Bilston. Sheffield Mail, 30m. past 10 even—Leeds, Wakefield, Bamesley, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Nottingham, Burton, Lichfield. ThirdG.J.Railway Mail, due 15m past 11 even—Glasgow, Edin¬ burgh, Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Liverpool, Manchester, Prescot, Warrington, Preston Brook, Chester, Northwich,Middlewich, Congleton, Nantwich, Newcastle, Market Drayton, Stone, Eccleshall, Stafford, Penkridge, Wolverhampton, Walsall. Messenger from Oldbury, 5 even. Messengers from Sutton, Great Barr, Castle Bromwich, and Hales Owen, 7 even. DESPATCHES. Bristol Mail, 30m. past 11 even—Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Worces¬ ter, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Dursley, Wootton, Bristol, Bath, Salisbury, Exeter, Falmouth. London Mail, 11 even., with a second London bag. First G. J. Railway Mail, 45m. past 2 morn—Walsall, Penkridge, Stafford, Stone, Eccleshall, Newcastle, Market Drayton, Congleton, Nantwich, Middlewich, Northwich, Chester, Preston Brook, Warring¬ ton, Liverpool, Manchester, Prescot, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Car¬ lisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds. Messenger to Bilston, 30m. past 2 even. Chipping-Norton mail, 3 even—Stratford-upon-Avon, Shipston, Chipping-Norton, Woodstock, Oxford. Second G. J. Railway Mail, 15m. past 11 morn—Wolverhampton, Stafford, Warrington, Prescot, Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin. London mail, 8 morn. Yarmouth Mail, 45m. past 7 mom—Coventry, Hinckley, Leicester, Grantham. Leamington Mail, 4 morn—Solihull, Warwick, Leamington. BIRMINGHAM. 233 Post Office continued. Tamworth mail, 5 morn—Tamwortli. Stourport Mail , 4 morn—Dudley, Stourbridge, Bewdley, Kidder¬ minster, Stourport. Worcester Mail, 4 morn-—Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Worcester, with London bags for Bromsgrove and Droitwich. Holyhead Mail, 30m. past 3 mom—Bilston, Shiffnall, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Chirk, Llangollen, Corwen, Bangor, Holyhead, Dublin. Sheffield Mail, 30m. past 3 mom , with bags for Lichfield, Burton, Derby, Nottingham, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield. Third G. J. Rail. raaz7,30m. past 3 even—Walsall, Wolverhampton, Penkridge, Stafford, Stone, Eccleshall, Newcastle, Nantwich, Mid- dlewich, Chester, Preston Brook, Warrington, Liverpool, Manchester. 6 mom— Messengers to Oldbury, Sutton, Great Barr, Castle Brom¬ wich, and Hales Owen. RECEIVING HOUSES FOR GENERAL POST OFFICE, Mr.W. Hewitt, Grocer, Hagley-row Mr. E. Gunn, No. \ ,Kenion-st. Mr. W. Dmry, 30, Lancaster-st. Mr. T. Ash, Druggist, Prospect-row Mr. J. While, 235, Bristol-st. MissDavies .LowerTer.SandPits Mrs. Wood, 172, High-st. Deri- tend. PLACES OF WORSHIP. With the Names of the Ministers and their residences; and the times of Public Service. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. St. MARTIN’S.—Rev. Thomas Moseley, M.A. Bath-row, Rector— Rev. M. W. Foye, A.M. Exeter-row, Curate.—Rev. Charles Arnold A.M. Sandpits, Lecturer.—Robert Powell, 96, High-street, Clerk and Sexton.—Services, \ past 10, a m. 3, § past 6, p.m. St. PHILIP’S—Rev. L. Gardner, D.D. Rectory, Rector.—Rev. J. W. Downes, M.A. Colmore-row, Lecturer.—Rev. Benjamin Spur- rell, M.A. 36, St. Paul’s-square, Curate.—Joseph Gell, Cannon- street, Clerk—John Bingham, Great Charles-street, Sexton.— Services, \ past 10 a.m. and \ past 3 p.m. St. GEORGE’S.—Rev. John Garbett, M.A. Hockley-hill, Rector.— Rev. Layton Irwin, Great Hampton-street, Curate.—William Deer, Tower-street, Clerk and Sexton.—Services, J before 11, a.m. § p. 3, and |p. 6 p.m.—Wednesday, \ p. 7, p.m. St. THOMAS’S.—Rev. William Marsh, M.A. Hagley-row, Rector— Rev. Charles Lowe, B.A. Bedford-place, Bristol-road, Curate — Edwin Grimley, Bath-row, Clerk and Sexton —Services \ past 10 x 2 234 BIRMINGHAM. 1 Places of Worship continued . a.m. 3 and § past 6 p,m —Tuesday, 7 p.m. prayer meeting Sunday, 7, a.m. Friday, § past 7, p.m. ALL SAINTS’—Rev. S. F. Morgan, M.A. Grosvenor-row, Birming¬ ham Heath, Rector.—Daniel Whitehouse, Birmingham Heath, Clerk and Sexton.—Services, \ past 10. a.m. 3 p.m. CHRIST CHURCH.—Rev. J. G. Breay, B.A. Crescent, Minister.— Rev. Daniel Ledsam, B.A. Summer-hill, Curate.—Thomas Brad¬ bury, Bristol-road, Clerk and Sexton.—Services, \ past 10, a.m. \ p. 6 p.m.—Thursday, 7 p.m. St. BARTHOLOMEW’S—Rev. Thomas Nunns, M A. Crescent, Minister—Benjamin Mills, Bartholomew-row, Clerk.—Services, 11 a.m. \ past 6 p.m. St. MARY’S.—Rev. J. C. Barratt, M.A. St Mary’s-row, Minister.— Rev. E. Hall, M.A. Summer-hill, Curate.—Edward White, Lich- field-street, near Newton-street, Clerk and Sexton.—Services, \ past 10, a.m. 3, and § past 6, p.m. St. PAUL’S.—Rev. Rann Kennedy, M.A. the Hollies, Hall Green, Minister.—Rev. William Wenman, St. Paul’s Square, Curate.— * * * * * * Clerk.—Michael Allen, Mary Ann-street, Sexton.—Services, % before 11, a.m, ^past 6, p.m. St. PETER’S.—Rev. Charles Craven, M.A. Edgbaston, Minister.— -Harrison, Clerk.—Services, 11 a.m. \ past 6, p.m. BISHOP RYDER’S—Rev. Matthew A. Collison, B.A., Minister — Rev. Lucius Arthur, B A. Assistant.—H. N. Greinly, 26, Gopsal- street, Clerk.—Services, 11 a.m. \ past 6. p.m. MAGDALEN CHAPEL.—Rev S. Gege, voluntary Chaplain.—Rev. J. Ryland, Edgbaston, Assistant Chaplain.—Samuel Cooper, Mar¬ shall-street, Holloway Head, Clerk.—Services, \ past 10, a.m. ■§ past 6, p.m. St. JOHN’S.—Rev. E Palmer, Highgate, Minister.—Rev. J. Collis- son, B.A. Camp-hill, Curate.—J. Arrowsmith, Allison-street, Clerk— Services, 11 a.m. J past 6, p.m. St. JAMES’S, ASHTED.—Rev. Josiah Allport, Ashted, Minister.— Thomas Martin, Vauxhall-lane, Ashted, Clerk and Sexton.—Ser¬ vices, § past 10, am. ^ past 6, p.m. TRINITY.—Rev. Samuel Crane, B.A. Bordesley, Minister—William Jenkins, High-street, Bordesley, Clerk.—Robert Roberts, Sexton.— Services § past 10, a.m. § past 3, p m. in winter, 3 pm. ASTON CHURCH —Rev. G. O. Fenwicke, M.A. Vicarage, Vicar. —Rev. Horace Chavasse, Curate.—Robert Roberts, Aston, Clerk and Sexton —Services, 11 a.m. 3 p.m. EDGBASTON CHURCH.—Rev. Charles Pixel!, M.A. Vicarage, Vicar.—Anthony Harrison, Metchley Park, Clerk and Sexton.— Services, 11 a.m. § past 3, p.m. BIRMINGHAM. 235 Places of Worship continued. St. GEORGE’S.—Cal thorp-street, Edgbaston.—Rev. J. Spooner, Perpetual Curate.— * * * , Clerk.—Services, 11 a.m. § past 3, p.m. HANDSWORTH CHURCH.—Rev. John Hargreaves, M.A. Rec¬ tory, Rector—Rev. D. N. Walton, M.A. Heathfield Lane, Curate. —William Price, Handsworth, Clerk.—Services, 11, a.m. 3 p.m. DISSENTERS. ASSOCIATION METHODISTS, Newhall-street.—Mr. J. Handley, Minister.—Services, j past 10 a.m. 6 p.m.—Wednesday, £ past 7 p.m BAPTISTS.— Cannon-street, Rev. Thomas Swan, Wheeley’s-lane, Edgbaston.—Services \ past 10 a.m. 3 and § past 6 p.m.—Monday and Thursday, J past 7 p.m.— Bond-street. Rev. Thomas Morgan, Regent-place, Harper’s-hill.—Services, \ past 10 a.m. and \ past 6 p.m—Monday and Wednesday, § past 7 p.m.— Graham-street, Rev. J. Hoby, D.D. Camden-hill.—Services § past 10 a.m. and § past 6, p.m.—Monday and Wednesday \ past 7 p.m.— Newhall- street, Rev. J. Ham, Bath-street.—Services \ past 10 a.m. 3 and § past 6 p.m. — Monday and Wednesday \ past 7 p.m.— Lombard- street, Rev. G. Cheatle, Lombard-street.—Services, 11 a.m. 3 and ^past 6 p.m.—Monday and Wednesday, ^past 7 pm. CALVINISTS, Bartholomew-street. —Rev. Mr. Telford, Bordes- ley-place.—Services, \ past 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.—Monday and Wed¬ nesday. § past 7 p m.— Zoar Chapel, Cambridge-street.—Rev. James Jay.—Services \ past 10 a.m. and \ past 6 p.m —Wednesday § past 7 p.m. DEPENDENT METHODISTS.— Buck-street, various Preachers. Services, \ past 10, a.m. 2 and 6 p.m.—Tuesday § past 7 p.m — Thursday 8 p.m. HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH.— Newhall- street. —Mr. Barclay.—Services, 6,10 a.m. 2, ^ before 4, 5, \ past 6 p.m. also daily 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. INDEPENDENTS— Carr’s Lane, Rev. J. A. James, Edgbaston— Services, \ past 10 a.m. \ past 6 p.m.—Monday and Wednesday £ past 7 p.m.— Steelhouse Lane, Rev. T. East, Church-lane, Handsworth.—Services, 11 a.m. and § past 6 p.m.—Monday and Wednesday, ^past 7 p.m.— Livery-street, Rev. J. Allsop, 7, New- hall-hill.—Services, \ before 11, a.m. \ past 6 p.m.—Monday and Thursday, £ past 7 p.m.— Legge-street, Messrs. Clay & Derrington, alternate preachers.—Services, § past 10 a.m. \ past 6 p.m.—Tuesday and Thursday, ■§ past 7 p.m.— Great Barr-street, various preachers.—Services \ past 10 a.m. and ^past 6 p.m.— Union Cha¬ pel, Handsworth, Rev. J. Hammond, Union-row, Handsworth.— Services, 11 a m. 3, and § past 6, p.m.— Saltley, near the Railway, various preachers.—Services, \ past 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. 236 BIRMINGHAM. Places of Worship continued. JEWS’ SYNAGOGUE, Severn-street.—Rev. Mr. Chapman, Small- brook-street, Reader.—Services, on Saturday, § past 8, a.m. during the winter months, and 8 a.m. summer months, 1 p.m. and at sun-set. LADY HUNTINGDON’S, King-street. —Rev. John Jones, Bristol- road.—Services, § past 10 a.m. 3, and \ past 6 p.m.—Monday, Wed¬ nesday, and Friday, J past 7 p.m —A Welsh Service, at 2 p.m. every Sunday afternoon. NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH, Summer-Lane.— Rev. E. Made- ley, Summer-lane.—Services J before 11 a.m. and J past 6 p.m. NEW CONNEXION METHODISTS, Oxford-street.— Rev. J. Curtis, Ravenhurst-street.—Services \ past 10 a.m. § past 2 and 6 p.m.—Tuesday and Friday, \ past 7 p.m.— Unett-street. —Rev. B. Ernshaw, Ravenhurst-street.—Services, \ past 10 a.m. \ past 2 and § past 6 p.m.—Prayer meeting, Wednesday and Friday nights at \ past 7. PRIMITIVE METHODISTS, Inge-street —Various Preachers— Services, 11 a.m. 6 p.m.—Tuesday 7 p.m.— Bordesley-street, va¬ rious preachers, 11 a.m. 3 and 6 p.m.—Wednesday, 7 p.m. ROMAN CATHOLICS— St. Chad’s, Rev. E. Peach, and Rev. J. Abbott, Shad well-street—Services, J past 8, j past 9, J past 10, a.m. § past 3 and § past 6 p.m.— St. Peter’s, Rev. T. M. McDonnell, St. Peter’s Place.—Services, 9, j past 10, a.m. J past 3 and § past 6 p.m. SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, Bull-street— Services, 10 a.m. 3 p.m. in winter, and 6 p.m. in summer—Wednesday, 10 a.m. SCOTCH CHURCH, Broad-street— Rev. R. Wallace, M.A. Sum¬ mer-hill Terrace—Services 11 a.m. and \ past 6 p.m. UNITARIANS— Old Meeting House, Grub-street, Rev. Hugh Hutton. Edgbaston—Services 11 a.m. § past 6 p.m.— New Meet¬ ing House, Moor-street, Rev. John Kentish, Bourn Brook, Bristol road—Rev. Samuel Bache, Frederick-street, Edgbaston—Services, 11 am. 3 p.m.— Thorp-street, various preachers—Services 11 a.m.Jpast 6 p.m.—Wednesday, \ past 7 p.m— Cambridge-street, Crescent, various preachers—Services, 11 a.m. 3 pm. WESLEYANS— Birmingham West Circuit; Rev. W. Naylor, 45, Newhall-street, Rev. Mr. Haswell, Wellington-street, Rev. Mr. Dicken, 17, Vittoria-street, and Rev. Mr. Lomas, Hagley-road— Cherry-street, Services,^ past 10, a.m. 3, and 6 p.m.—Tuesday and Thursday, ^ past 7, p.m — Wesley Chapel, Services, § past 10 a,m. 3, and \ past 6 p.m.—Tuesday, £ past 7 p.m.— Islington Chapel, Services, \ past 10 a.m. § past 2 and 6 p.m.—Wednesday ^ past 7, p.m.— Bristol-road, Services, ^past 10 a.m. \ past 2 and 6 p.m.—Tuesday, £ past 7 p.m.— Birmingham East Circuit; Rev. J. Rigg, Belmont-row, Rev. J. Barton, Camp-hill, and Rev. John Bumby, Hatchet-street, Newtown-row— Belmont-row, Ser- BIRMINGHAM. 237 Places of Worship continued. vices, J past 10 a.m. § past 2 and 6 p.m.—Wednesday, J past 7 p.m. —Bradford-street, Services, \ past 10, a m. § past 2 and 0 p.m. —Wednesday, \ past 7 p.m.— Newtown-row, Services \ past 10 a m. § past 2 and 6 p.m—Thursday, -§ past 7 p.m. COACHES AND OMNIBUSSES. Abbreviation* of the various Coach Offices:—S Swan; HC. Hen and Chickens; C Castle; N Nelson; A Albion. Aberystwyth, 7 a.m. A (except Sundays) Alcester, \ past 4 p.m. S —\ past 7 a.m. C (except Sundays)—§ past 4 p.m. S A From George Inn, Digbeth, Monday and Thursday, at 4 Arundel, Worthing, and Brighton, \ past 8 p.m. HC Banbury, 8 a.m. C S Bangor, 3 a.m. S 7 a m. A Bath, J before 8 a.m. S HC —\ past 8 a.m. C A S-—§ past 8 p.m. S C A N—| past 11 p.m. (mail) HC Bewdley, 5 a.m. S—1 p,m. S C N Bridgnorth, 4 p.m. St. George’s Tavern Bristol, J before 7 a.m. S HC C—J before 8 a.m. C—§ past 8 C A S— £ before 12 a.m. HC—§ past 8 p.m. S C A N—f past 11 p m. (mail) HC Burton, J past 3 a.m. S HC—8 a m. S HC C—10 a.m. A C—J past 4 p.m. C S HC—§ past 8 p.m. S HC C Carmarthen, £ before 6 p.m. S C A HC Cambridge, J before 8 a.m. S C—Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, \ past 7 a.m. HC Cheltenham, J before 10 am. AC S HC—10 a.m. HC S C A—12 a m. C S HC—2 p.m. S C HC—§ past 4 p.m. A C S N Chester, 9 a.m. N S C A Coventry, \ past 7 a m. N A—J before 8 a.m. (mail) HC—3 p.m. HC C S A—§ past 5 p.m.C S—8 p.m. N A Daventry, § past 7 a.m. N A—8 p.m. N A Dudley, 5 a m, 8 a.m. 9 a.m. S C—1 p.m N S C—7 p.m. C Dunchurch, \ past 7 a.m. N A —\ past 8 pm. N A Derby, £ past 3 a.m. S HC—8 a.m. HC S C—10 a.m. A C—§ past 4 p m. C S HC-—j- past 8 p.m. HC Evesham, \ past 7 a.m. C —\ past 4 p.m. A C S N Farnham, Havant, and Chichester, \ past 11 p.m. HC Gloucester, J past 6 a.m. HC N C S A—J before 7 a,m. HC S C—J before 8 a.m. S HC —\ past 8 a.m. A S C—12 a m. C S HC— \ past 8 p.m. NAS C—J past 11 p.m. HC Hereford, \ bef. 0, \ bef. 7, \ bef. 12 a.m.C S IIC—3 p.m. HC S C 238 BIRMINGHAM. Coaches and Omnibusses continued. Holyhead, 3 a.m. (mail) S C Huntingdon, 8 am. SC Ironbridge, 2 p.m S HC Kidderminster, 5 a.m. S—9 a m. S C—1 p.m S C N—7 p.m. C Leamington, 5 a.m. (mail) S C—8 a.m. Pugh’s, New-street, and King’s Head, Worcester-street—8 a.m. C S—10 a.m. C S N—jpast 12 a.m C S N —\ past 2 pm. C S N—3 p m. Pugh’s, New-street, and King’s Head, Worcester-street —\ past 6 p.m. C S N—Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, § past 7 a.m. HC Leicester, J before 8 a.m. (mail) HC S—3 p.m. C S HC N Leominster, % before 6 a.m.—3 p.m. C S HC Liverpool, \ past 7 a.m. S C—9 a.m. N S C HC Lichfield, 5 a.m. S HC—7 a.m HC—8 a.m. S C HC—10 a.m. A C— \ past 4 p.m. C S A —\ past 8 p.m. S C HC See also Omnibus London, § past 7 a.m. N A—8 p.m. N A Ludlow, 1 p.m. N S C A Macclesfield, 7 a.m. HC—9 a.m. S C Madeley and Ironbridge, £ before 2 p.m. S HC Manchester 7 a.m. HC—9 a.m. S C Market Drayton and Whitchurch, 9 a.m. N S C A Northampton, £ before 8 a.m. C S—Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, \ past 7 a.m. HC Norwich, % before 8 a.m. (mail) HC S Nottingham, ^past 3 and 8 a.m. HC—11 a.m. C Oxford, 8 a.m. C HC —i past 12 noon HC S —5 p.m. HC Potteries, \ past 7 a.m. C S Rugeley, \ past 7 a.m C S Ross and Monmouth, % before 6 a.m. C S N HC—^ before 7, 8, £ before 10, £ before 12 a.m. 3 p.m. HC Sheffield, 3 a.m. (mail) HC S—8 a.m. S HC C—10 a.m. A C—§ past 8 p.m. HC S C Shrewsbury, 3 a.m. S C—11 a.m. S C —\ before 2 p.m. HC S Southampton, 6 a.m. NSC Stourbridge, see Kidderminster Stourport, 5 a.m. (mail) S Stratford, 5 a.m. A C and King’s Head, Worcester-street Tamworth, 5 a.m. C—11 a.m. C—5 p.m. S Tetbury, see Gloucester Uttoxeter, 7 a m. HC Walsall, 9 a.m. C S N A—10 a.m. A C—£ past 12 a.m C —\ past 3 p.m. HC—£ past 4 p.m. HC—6 p.m. C Warrington, \ past 7 a.m. S C Warwick, see Leamington Wellington, 11 a.m. S C Wilton and Salisbury, £ before 6 a.m. N C S A—J before 8 and \ past 11 p.m. HC BIRMINGHAM. 239 Coaches and Omnibusses continued. Wolverhampton, 9 a m. S C N A—11 a.m. C S—£ before 2 p.m. HC S Worcester, 5 a.m. (mail) HC S—£ before 6 a.m. S C A HC—£ past 6 a.m. N S C—£ before 7 am.SC HC—£ before 8 a.m. HC S—£ before 9 a.m. A SC—10 a.m. HC S C A—12 a.m. S C HC—2 p.m. HC S C—£ past 3 p.m. HC S C—§ past 4 p.m. C S N A—£ past 5 p m. HC N A—£ past 8 p.m. N S C—£ past 11 p.m. (mail) HC The following Coaches start daily from the White Hors p Coach Office, Railway Station—Ludlow, (Little Red Rover) every afternoon, except Sunday, £ before 2, through Oldbury, Dudley, Stourbridge, Kidder¬ minster, Bewdley and Cleobury. Chipping Norton Royal Mail, every day, at 3 p.m. through Henley - in-Arden, Stratford-on-Avon and Shipstone. Kingswinford Royal Mail, every morning at 6, through Smethwick, Oldbury and Dudley. Midland Omnibus Company —Office 66, High-street, Red Lion, High- street, Lamp Tavern, Bull-street, and the White Horse, Steelhouse- Lane, Rose and Punch Bowl, Bull-street, Birmingham. To Wolverhampton, through Bilston, morning, £ before 8, £ before 9, £ before 11; afternoon, £ past 1, £ past 3, £ past 4, £ past 5, and 7 To Stourbridge, morning, at £ before 9 To Dudley, through Oldbury, morning, £ past 8, £ before 9, £ past 10; afternoon, 4, 6, 8 To Westbromwich, morning, at £ before 8, £ before 9, £ past 10, £ before 11 ; afternoon, £ past 1, 4, £ past 4, £ past 5, 7, 8 To Willenhall, morning, £ before 9 ; afternoon, at £ past 3 To Walsall, morning, £ before 9 , afternoon, £ past 3 To Shrewsbury, at £ past 1 every day, except Sunday To Bridgnorth and Ludlow, at £ past 1 every day, except Sunday St. George's Tavern —Office, St. George’s Tavern, High-street, and Rainbow Tavern, Bull-street To Wolverhampton, morning, £ before 8, £ before 11 ; afternoon, £ before 2, 4, and £ past 5 and 7 To Dudley, morning, at £ past 9, 12; afternoon, 3, £* past 4, and 7 To Stourbridge, through Westbromwich, Great Bridge, Dudley, Holly Hall, and Brierley Hill, afternoon, at 3 o’clock. Omnibusses to Westbromwich every hour To Bewdley, Tuesday and Friday, at 1 o’clock To Belbroughton, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons, at 6 o’clock 240 BIRMINGHAM. Coaches and Omnibusses continued. Halesowen, Hagley, Kidderminster, Bewdley, and Stourport,— Fawkner, Bell Inn, Philip-street, Wednesday and Saturday, at 1 Studley, Kendal, Bell Inn, Philip-street, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 4 o’clock Redditch, Humphreys, Woolpack, St. Martin’s-lane, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 4 o’clock Solihull, Fairfield, Rose, Edgbaston-street, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoon, at 4 in winter and 5 in summer Bromsgrove, Blower, Woolpack, St. Martin’s Lane, Monday and Thursday afternoon, at £ before 5 o’clock Coleshillto Atherstone, Cross Guns, Dale end, afternoon, at § past 4 o’clock, Sundays excepted. Tamworth, Ryley, Tam worth Arms, Moor-street, every afternoon, at 4 o’clock Coleshill, Farr, Rose and Crown, Moor-street, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoon Wednesbury, Lamp Tavern, Bull-street, daily, at J before 11 morn¬ ing, and \ past 7 evening Lichfield, White Horse, Moor-street, Monday, Thursday, and Satur¬ day, at \ past 4, p.m. 241 \ LONDON. It will not be expected, if indeed it were desirable, in a work of this nature, that even an outline of the numerous features which characterize this huge metropolis can be given; still a brief glance at its early and recent history, commercial and general, may afford some slight interest to readers generally, while the different lists of its public places of business, and amusement, with their hours, prices of admission, &c., the fares of watermen, hackney coachmen, &c., the post office regulations, and other information of a like nature, will be found of great service to visitors to this “ mighty Babel,” the number of whom is becoming every day greater, through the facilities afforded by railway communication. The earliest notice which we find of London, now the most important, if not the most extensive city in the world, is in Caesar’s Commentaries, in which it is identified with the Civitas Trino- bantum , or “ city of the Trinobantes,” by which people it was probably selected on account of its peculiarly fine situation. At a very early period it was considered highly eligible as a seat of commerce, being near enough to the sea to receive the full advan¬ tage of the tide, while it was still distant enough to be safe from any sudden attack by an enemy’s fleet. The earliest event on record, is its destruction by Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, in the reign of Nero, in the year 60, when its progress since the time of Caesar had been so rapid, that it is described by Tacitus as “ the chief residence of merchants and the great mart of tradealthough not then dignified with the name of a colony, as were Colchester and St. Albans, nor, as it would appear, fortified in the Roman manner. Shortly after this time it was made a permanent station by the Romans, and became subject to their laws. Numerous Roman antiquities, consisting of tesselated pavements, coins, urns, sarcophagi, &c., have been found on the site of the present metropolis, and the London-stone in Cannon-street is considered by most antiqua¬ rians to be a portion of a Roman milliary, and the central point v 242 LONDON. from which the great Roman roads diverged. It continued to improve under the Roman sway, and in 211 we find it spoken of as “ a great and wealthy city, illustrious for the vast number of merchants who resorted to it, for its widely-extended commerce, and for the abundance of every species of commodity it could supply.” I n the year 359, no less than 800 vessels were employed in the exportation from London of corn alone, and the prosperity of its commerce we are informed continued on the increase during the whole of the fourth century. The Saxons succeeded the Romans in the dominion over Britain, on the abandonment of the country by the latter, and although London was for a time held by the aborigines of the island, it was ultimately conquered and possessed by the fierce race, which, under its leaders, Hengist and Horsa, landed in the year 448, in the isle of Thanet, and subjected the larger portion of this country to its sway. London then became the chief town of the Saxon kingdom of Essex, and was erected into an episcopal see on the conversion to Christianity of the East Saxons, and to this day, though locally in the province of Canterbury, it is exempt from the visitation of the Archbishop; and the Bishop of London takes precedence of all the other bishops, ranking next to the Archbishop of York. The capital suffered severely from fire in the years 764,788, and 801, and in 849, the Danes, with 250 ships, entered the Thames, plundered and burnt the city, and put the inhabitants to the sword. In 833, London, though not at that period the seat of government, was fast ad¬ vancing in importance, a witena-gemot (or Saxon parliament) having been held to consult about the best means of repelling the Danes. Alfred restored the city after its destruction by the Danes, and constituted it “ The capital of all England ,” but it being again destroyed by fire, he rebuilt it, and, for the better government thereof, divided it into wards and precincts, and here, as in other parts of the kingdom, instituted the office of sheriff. In 925 King Athelstan had a royal palace here, and appointed eight mints for the coinage of money. On the ceding of London to Canute the Dane, in the year 1015, which was effected through a compromise between him and Edmund Iron¬ side, the former prince having besieged and blockaded but failed to subdue it by his attacks, the metropolis paid a seventh part pf the tax levied on the whole nation by him, the total amount of which was 72,000£.; by which the comparative opulence of the capital at the period may be estimated. Edward the Con¬ fessor granted to London the court of Hustings , and, by his charter, gave it pre-eminence over all his other cities. LONDON. 243 On the successful invasion of England by William of Nor¬ mandy (surnamed the Conqueror), he was invited by the magis¬ trates of London and the Magnates of the land to accept the title of King, to which he acceded and was crowned at Westmin¬ ster. In return, that monarch granted to the city two charters, and confirmed to it all the privileges which it had enjoyed under its Saxon rulers, to which he added others. In 1090 a fearful hurricane overthrew 600 houses, and damaged the Tower of London (erected by William I., in 1078), which last was repaired and strengthened by William Rufus, who in 1079 founded Westminster Hall. In the first year of Stephen another exten¬ sive fire occurred, which destroyed all the houses eastward to Aldgate and westward to St. Paul’s, together with London Bridge, which at that period was constructed of wood. This occasioned an order to the mayor and aldermen in 1192, that “ all houses thereafter erected in the city or liberties thereof, should be built of stone, with party walls of the same, and covered either with slate or tiles, to prevent the recurrence of fires, which hafl been occasioned by the houses being built of wood, and thatched with straw or reeds.” During the reign of Henry II., in the year 1176, the foundation was laid of a new bridge of stone, which was completed in 1209. The execrable act of the massacre of the Jews in the metropolis took place in 1189, at the coronation of Richard I. In 1215 a great fire, which began in Southwark and extended to London Bridge, destroyed 3000 persons, who were prevented from escaping by another fire break¬ ing out at the Middlesex end of the bridge. From the reign of Henry I. to the last named period, an interval of little more than a century, London had been increas¬ ing in buildings to a great extent. Twelve large monasteries were founded in the city and suburbs, among which were the magnificent establishments of the Knights Templars, and the Knights Hospitallers, with the extensive priory of the Holy Trinity, in Aldgate, (whose chief was an alderman of London) with many others of nearly equal magnitude. In 1258, a dread¬ ful famine raged in the capital, and owing to the high price of corn, 20,000 persons are stated to have perished of hunger. In the reign of Edward I., (1296), the wards of London were extended to 24, with a presiding alderman to each, and common councilmen were appointed to he chosen annually as at the present time; a common seal was also granted to the city. In 1354, it was ordained that the aldermen, who had hitherto been changed yearly, should not be removed withoutsome special cause. William Walworth, mayor, together with several aldermen, were, 244 LONDON. on the occasion of the rebellion of Wat Tyler, ini380, knighted on the field, for their gallant conduct, and the dagger is said to have been then added to the city arms,—that being the weapon used by the chief magistrate when he struck down and killed the rebel leader. Another great plague which ravaged London in 1406, swept off 30,000 of the inhabitants. In 1416, the mayor, Sir Henry Barton, ordered that, on winter evenings, lanterns with lights should be hung out between Hallowtide and Candlemas, which custom became general in the following year. A new Guildhall was erected in 1417, on the site of the present edifice, in place of a mean cottage which had been before occupied as such ; and in 1443, the supply of water being insufficient, pipes were laid from Paddington. The earliest notice of the use of brick for buildings in London occurs in 1460; this material was first manufactured in Moor- fields, gradually superseded wood, and ultimately came into general use for erecting houses. The improvements of the metropolis were continued by Henry VIII. The dissolution of religious houses which took place in his reign caused a great alteration in the aspect of the city, and their sites became occu¬ pied by schools, hospitals, manufactories, &c. About this period, however, notwithstanding these improvements, a merchant of London in a letter to Sir William Cecil observes, that there was “ not a city in Europe, having the occupying that London had, that was so slenderly provided with shipsand we are also told that, at this time, “ there were not above four merchant vessels exceeding 120 tons burthen in the river Thames.” By an act, 7 Edward VI., for the general regulation of taverns and public- houses, it was ordered that no more than forty should be opened in the city and liberties of London, and three in Westminster. The Royal Exchange, (so recently destroyed by fire) was built, with several other works of public utility, at the commencement of Elizabeth’s reign. In 1613, that work of great public benefit, the New River, projected and executed by Sir Hugh Myddelton, was brought from Amwell,in Hertfordshire, to its head at Clerk - enwell. Building continued to advance after the death of Elizabeth; and we find that Spitalfields, and 300 acres to the south-east of it, were covered with houses, which so alarmed James I., that he issued a proclamation against the erection of new buildings; and another attempt of a similar nature was made during the Protec¬ torate, but neither was of sufficient force to stay the progress of the extension of the metropolis. The devastating plague of 1665, however, put a stop for a time to the increase of London. During LONDON. 245 the ravages of this fearful visitation, 68,596 are said to have perished, and grass grew in the principal streets. “ The great fire of London,” the crowning conflagration of the many which Lon¬ don had suffered, followed the year of plague, and destroyed 13,200 houses and 89 churches, exclusive of the venerable cathe¬ dral of St. Paul, London Bridge, &c., covering a space of 436 acres with ruins, and which was computed to have involved a loss of property amounting to 10,000,000/. To perpetuate the remembrance of this awful catastrophe the Monument was erected on Fish-street hill. In 1685 the population of Spitalfields and St. Giles was greatly augmented by the settlement of French Protestants, driven out of their own country by the revolution of the edict of Nantes, which occasioned the introduction of new manufactories among the inhabitants of this district. About the year 1760 most of the city gates were taken down, and in 1762 an act was passed to remove the shop signs which projected into the middle of the street, obstructing the free course of both the light and air; at the same period the water spouts, which projected in like manner, were also removed. In 1768 an act of Parliament empowered the appointment of Commis¬ sioners for paving, cleansing, lighting, and watching the streets, and in 1774 an act was passed for placing fire-cocks in the water pipes, with legible notices of their situations and distances, and for keeping fire-engines and ladders in every parish. To¬ wards the close of this century several new companies were established for supplying the metropolis with water, and subse¬ quently for lighting the streets, shops, &c., with gas. “ London is eminently fortunate in being situated on rising ground, and on a river of ample extent, which, flowing through the town, is agitated twice in 24 hours, by a tide which ascends 15 miles above it, and, by its winding in this part of its course, greatly contributes not only to the embellishment, but to the healthful ventilation, of the metropolis. The mean breadth of the Thames here is about 400 yards, and it is crossed by five magnificent stone bridges, besides a sixth of cast iron. Occu¬ pying a gentle slope on the north side of the river, which extends from east to west in a kind of amphitheatre, together with a level tract on the southern bank, it is surrounded on every side, for nearly 20 miles, by thickly scattered villages and seats. The streets are regularly paved, having a central carriage way, and a foot-path on each side; the pavement of the former is com¬ posed of small square blocks of granite, and the latter is laid with large flags: some of the wider streets in the western part of Y 2 246 LONDON. the metropolis are Macadamized. The foot-paths are in gene¬ ral broad, particularly those of the principal thoroughfares, and have a regular curb stone, raised some inches above the carri¬ age way, which latter has a slight convexity in the middle, to allow the water to pass off into channels on each side. Under¬ neath are large vaulted sewers, communicating with every house by smaller ones, and with every street by convenient openings and gratings, to carry off to the river all impurities that can be conveyed in that manner. All mud and rubbish accumulating on the surface of the streets are taken away by scavengers em¬ ployed for that purpose. Nearly all the streets and principal shops are lighted with gas, supplied by several incorporated com¬ panies. Almost the whole of the houses, those of ancient date excepted, are constructed of brick; the more modern and larger edifices being built of stone, or stuccoed to resemble it. Excel¬ lent water is plentifully conveyed from the Thames and the New River and other reservoirs to almost every house ; spring water is obtained from pumps, erected in various parts of the town. The beauty of the environs is greatly enhanced by the chain of hills to the north of the town, forming a second amphitheatre, entirely enclosing the first, of which Hampstead, Highgate, and Muswell-hills are the most prominent features. On the east and west are extensive plains, stretching twenty miles in each direction, along the banks of the Thames, and forming a most fertile, populous, and interesting valley; those which lie east¬ ward of the town feed numerous herds of cattle, and those westward are chiefly employed in the production of fruit and vegetables for the supply of the London market. That part of the metropolis which is situated south of the Thames occupies a flat surface, bounded by a landscape beautifully varied from west to east by the heights of Richmond, Wimbledon, Epsom, Norwood, and Blackheath, and terminating in the horizon with Leith hill, Box hill, the Reigate hills, the Wrotham hills, and Shooter’s hill. On every side the approaches are spacious and kept in admirable order, and, like the town, lighted at night with gas, and well watched and patrolled. Country houses of opulent merchants and tradesmen, or the mansions of the nobi¬ lity, standing detached and surrounded by plantations, or arrang¬ ed together in successive handsome rows, are every where to be seen, either on the sides or in the vicinity of these roads, toge¬ ther with numerous villages, some of which imitate the commer¬ cial activity of the metropolis.” Since the commencement of the present century, London has increased in a greater ratio than in that of the last. It is visible LONDON. 247 on all sides, but more particularly on the northern and western. Improvements have gone on at an immense rate, and to give some idea of the extent of building, it is conjectured that during the last fifty years, 60,000 houses have been erected in London and its suburbs, affording habitation for 300,000 additional persons. To particularize the public buildings, which are inclu¬ ded in the inprovements mentioned, would far exceed our limits, but the number and importance of these may be conjectured from the fact that fifty new churches have been erected by the com¬ missioners under the late act of Parliament, each having a district allotted to it, many of which districts are densely populated. In fact, “ so numerous are the improvements being projected and carried into effect, that scarcely a month passes in which there is not brought forward some plan of elegant embellishment, of public or private utility, or of civil and commercial advantage. In size, population, and wealth; in the extent, grandeur, and number of its religious edifices, its public establishments, its charitable institutions, its commercial docks, and its bridges; in the elegance of its squares, and the commodiousness of its habi¬ tations, the superiority of the English metropolis over that of every other country is manifest.” COMMERCE. a The commerce of London has three principal branches. 1st. The port of London, with the foreign trade and domestic wholesale business; 2ndly, the manufactures; and, 3rdly, the retail trade. In 1268, the half-year’s customs for foreign mer¬ chandise in the city of London was only 7 51. 6s 1(M.: in 1331, they amounted to 8000/. In 1354, the duty on goods imported was only 580/, and on exports, 81,624/. In 1641, just before the commencement of the civil war, the customs yielded 500,0001. per annum, the effect of a long series of peaceful days; and from the year 1671 to 1688 they were, on an average, 555,752/. In 1709, they had increased to 2,319,320/.; and in the year ending April, 1799, they amounted to 3,711,126/. The astonishing in¬ crease in the extent of commercial intercourse in later years may be inferred from the following brief statement. The average number of British ships, and vessels of various kinds in the Thames and docks, is estimated at 13,444, of which the barges and other small craft, employed in shipping and unlading, are not fewer than between 3,000 and 4,000: there are 2,888 bar¬ ges and other craft engaged in the inland trade ; besides which, there are 3,000 wherries or small boats, for passengers. About 8,000 watermen are employed in navigating the wherries and 248 LONDON. craft, 4000 labourers in lading and unlading ships, and 12,000 revenue officers are constantly kept doing duty on the river. In regard to tonnage, the East India Company’s ships alone carry more burden, by many thousand tons, than the aggregate of all the vessels belonging to the port a century ago. The value of merchandise annually received and discharged is computed at between 60,000,000/. and 7 0,000,000/. sterling. From accounts printed by order of the House of Commons it appears that, in 1798, prior to the construction of the docks, the value of imports and exports was 30,290,000/.; and in 1806, after the docks were formed, it had increased to 36,527,000/.: in 1819, it was 46,935,000/.; and in 1825, 96,936,000/. The gross annual receipt of customs’ duties, on an average of seven years from 1826 to 1832, inclusive, was 10,077,390/. In 1832, the quantity of coal brought coastwise and by inland navigation into the port of London was 2,149,820 tons. The quantities of different kinds of grain and pulse, and of flour, brought coastwise, or im¬ ported from Ireland and from foreign countries, from Michael¬ mas 1831 to Michaelmas 1832, were, of wheat, 695,902 qrs. ; barley, 367,614; oats, 988,177; rye, 3856; beans, 71,614; peas, 52,343 ; and flour, 486,560 sacks, and 56,253 barrels; of all which articles the importation was considerably greater during the preceding year, the mercantile interests having been seri¬ ously injured at the latter period, by the adoption of precaution¬ ary measures, necessary to obstruct the devastating progress of the cholera morbus, which caused a great temporary diminution of the operations of commerce. The number of coasting vessels which entered in 1814 was 15,139; and in 1821, 18,915. The number of ships moored in the river during 1804, after the West India docks were opened, was 7327 ; and in 1823, when five docks and three wet dock canals were opened and fully em¬ ployed, there were, exclusively of the extended accommodation thus afforded, 13,112; in addition to which, nearly 2000 voy¬ ages by steam-boats annually now obstruct the navigation above Greenwich. The number of British vessels which entered an¬ nually, on an average, during 1830 and the two following years, notwithstanding the port regulations for the prevention of cho¬ lera, was 3772; of an aggregate tonnage amounting to 721,686 ; and of foreign, 1236, having a tonnage of 210,267. During the same period, the average number which entered annually from foreign parts was 2499 British, and 1211 foreign. The scene of this great traffic occupies a space of more than four miles in length, reaching from London bridge to Deptford, and from 400 to 500 yards in average breadth, w T hich may be described as LONDON. 249 consisting of four divisions, three of them called the Upper, Mid¬ dle, and Lower Pools, and the fourth comprising the space between Limehouse and Deptford. It is, besides, calculated that above 40,000 wagons and other carriages, including their repeated journies, arrive and depart, laden in both instances with articles of domestic, colonial, or foreign merchandise; occa¬ sioning a transit, including cattle and provisions sent for the consumption of the inhabitants, of more than 50,000,000/. worth of goods to and from the inland markets, making altogether a sum of 120,000,000/. worth of property annually moving to and from the metropolis.” MANUFACTURES. “ London has long been celebrated for its manufactures, as well as its commerce. So early as the reign of Hen. I., the English goldsmiths had become so eminent for working the precious me¬ tals, as to be frequently employed by foreign princes; and the perfection of various other manufactures at this period appears both from history and antique remains. The manufacturers had, in that reign, become so numerous as to be formed into fra¬ ternities, or companies, some of which have ceased to exist, some have declined, as the Cappers, Bowyers, Fletchers, &c., and others still flourish, and are much increased in the number of their members, in the extent of their property and patronage, and in general importance. In 1556, a manufactory for the finer sorts of glass was established in Crutchet Friars; and flint- glass, not exceeded by that at Yenice, was made at the same time at the Savoy. About five years after, the manufacture of knit stockings was introduced, in consequence of the ingenuity of William Rider, an apprentice on London bridge, who, hap¬ pening to see a pair from Mantua, at the house of an Italian, made another pair exactly similar to them, which he presented to William Earl of Pembroke. The manufacture of knives was shortly after begun by Thomas Matthews, of Fleet bridge, and has since eclipsed that manufacture at Sheffield, where it was much earlier established. Silk-wove stockings were first made from the invention of Lee, a student at Oxford, in the reign of Elizabeth, which reign forms so splendid an era in the commer¬ cial and trading interests of the metropolis. Coaches were in¬ troduced in 1564, and in less than 20 years they became an extensive article of manufacture. In the following year the manufacture of pins was begun, and, soon after, that of needles. The making of “earthen furnaces, earthen fire-pots, and earth¬ en ovens, transportable,” began about the 16th year of Eliza- 250 LONDON. beth, an Englishman of the name of Dyer, having brought the art from Spain; and in 1579, the same individual being sent to Persia, at the expense of the city of London, brought home the art of dyeing and weaving carpets. In 1577, pocket-watches were imported from Nuremberg, in Germany, and the making of them almost immediately commenced. In the reign of Charles I., saltpetre was made in such quantities as not only to supply the whole of England, but the greater part of the Continent. The manufacture of silk, as well as of various articles of plate, had also become extensive, The printing of calicoes commenced in 1676, and, about the same time, weaving-looms were brought from Holland. The other articles of manufacture, introduced or practised in the metropolis about the same time, are too nu¬ merous to particularize. The silk manufacture, which, under its different modifications, now affords employment to so many thousands, was first estab¬ lished at Spitalfields by the expelled French Protestants, after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685. Since that period the productions of London have greatly increased, both in extent and value, in articles of elegance and utility, such as cutlery, jewellery, gold and silver ornaments, japan ware, cut glass, cabinet work, &c., as well as commodities requiring a great mart for their consumption, export, or sale, as porter, English wines, vinegar, refined sugar, soap, &c. In short, the manufac¬ tures of London, as well as its commerce, are vast and flourishing, many of the goods manufactured here surpassing in quality those of any other part of the country : and the coach-builders and harness-makers, who are very numerous, far excel those of any other city in the world. For the more scientific manufactures, such as those of machinery, optical and mathematical instru¬ ments, &c., London has always been celebrated. Ship-building is carried on to a great extent; and during the late war many frigates were built for the government by private individuals, and with greater rapidity than in the Royal Dock-yards.’' The exercise of its own military government is one of the pe¬ culiar privileges possessed by the city of London from the ear¬ liest times; its forces formerly consisted of what were termed the trained bands, but now of two regiments of militia, consist¬ ing of 2200 men, one of which may, in certain cases, be placed by the king under any of his general officers, and marched to any place not exceeding twelve miles from the capital, or to the nearest encampment; the other being at all such times to remain in the city. LONDON. 251 PLACES OF GENERAL RESORT IN LONDON AND WESTMINSTER; As Public Offices, with the hours of attendance; Societies , Prisons, Inns of Court, Charities, and Places of Amusement , Exhibitions, fyc. PUBLIC OFFICES, SOCIETIES, &c. Accomptant-General’sOffice, Chancery-lane; from 9 to 1, and 4 to 6 Adjutant-General’s Office, Horse Guards, 10 to 2 Admiralty, near Whitehall Admiralty Court and Record Offices, College-sq. Ds. Com. from 9 to 7 Advocate (Judge) General’s Office, Upper Crown-street, Westminster Affidavit Office, Symond’s Inn, from 1 to 2, and 4 to 6 Alien Office, Crown-street, Westminster Almoner’s Office, Scotland-yard Antiquarian Society, Somerset-place Anti-Slavery Society, 18, Aldermanbury Apothecaries’ Hall, Water-lane, Blackfriars Arches Court, Doctors Commons Archdeacon of London’s Court, ditto Archdeacon of Rochester’s Court, Bennet’s-hill ; Doctors Commons Army Clothing Inspector’s Board Office, Whitehall-yard Army Pay Office, Whitehall Army Medical Board, Berkley-street, Piccadilly Asiatic (Royal) Society, 14, Grafton-street Astronomical Society, Somerset House Auction Mart, Bartholomew’s-lane Auditors of Land and Window Tax, Palace-yard, Westminster Auditors of Public Accounts, Somerset-place, from 10 to 2 Bank of England, Threadneedle-street Bible (Britishand Foreign) Society, Earl-street, Blackfriars Bill of Middlesex Office, 15, Clifford’s Inn, from 10 to 12, and 4 to 6 Bishop of London’s Office, Knight Rider-street, from 9 to 8 Board of Control, Whitehall, from 10 to 4 Board of Works, Scotland-yard Board of Green Cloth, St. James’s Palace Board of Trade, Treasury, Whitehall Borough Court, St Margaret’s-hill British Museum, Great Russel 1-street Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park Canada Company, 13, St. Helen’s-place Carnatic Commissioners, 11, Manchester-bds. near Westminster-bridge Chancery Office, Southampton-buildings, from 10 to 12, and 4 to 5 Chancery Court, Lincoln’s-inn-hall, and Westminster-hall Chapter House, north side of St. Paul’s 252 LONDON. Places of General Resort continued. Chelsea Water Works (Office), Great Queen-street, Westminster Church Missionary Society, Salisbury-square City Solicitor’s Office, Guildhall Clerk of the Rules Office, K B. Symond’s Inn, from 10 till 2 Clerk of the Doquets, K. B. King’s Bench Office Ditto C. P. Tanfield-court, Inner Temple Ditto C. P Prothonotaries’ Office Ditto of the Errors Office, K. B. Roll’s-yard Ditto C. P. at Mr. Pepys, Chancery Office, Southampton-buildings Clerk of the Escheats, Somerset-place. Clerk of the Essoigns, Elm-co. Middle Temple, from 9 to 2, and 4 to 8 in term; and 4 to 6 in vacation. Clerk of the Juries and Habeas Corpus Office, Chancery Lane, from 10 to 3, and 5 to 8 in term. Clerk of the Papers Office, K. B. Symond’s-inn, from 10 to 1 and 6 to 8, and at the Queen’s Bench Prison, from 10 to 2, and 6 to 9. Clerk of the Papers C. P. Fleet Prison, from 10 to 3, and 6 to 9. Clerk of the Peace for Surrey, No. 6, Queen’s Bench Walk, Temple. Clerk of the Outlawries, 1, Pump-court, Middle Temple College of Physicians, Pall Mall East Colonial Slaves Registry, from 10 to 4, James-street, Buckingham Palace. Commissioner in Chiefs Office, Horse Guards Commissioners of Land and Assessed Taxes, Guildhall Commissioners of Sewers’ Office, Guildhall-yard, King-st., Cheapside; and Carlisl e-street, Soho Commissariat Office, Treasury Commissary’s Office for Surrey, Godliman-street Common Bail Office, K. B. Inner Temple, from 11 to 3, and 4 to 7 in term, and 4 to 6 in vacation Common Pleas Office, Tanfield Court, Inner Temple, from 10 to 1, and 4 to 8 in term, and 4 to 6 in vacation Commons, House of, Palace-yard, Westminster Comptroller, City, Office, Guildhall Corporation Office, No. 13, Paper-buildings, Inner Temple, from 10 to 12, and 4 to 7 Corn Exchange, Mark Lane Council Office, Whitehall, from 10 to 4 Court of Queen’s Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer, are held in Westminster Hall, and Guildhall Courts of Conscience, Guildhall; Kingsgate-street, Holborn; Castle- street, Leicester-fields; Vine-street, Piccadilly; Union Hall, South¬ wark ; and Osborn-street, Whitechapel Crown Office, King’s Bench-walk, Temple, 10 to 2 and 4 to eight Custom House, Lower Thames-street, 9 to 3 Custos Brevium Office, Brick-court, Middle Temple, 10 to 12, & 4 to 7 Deputy Remembrancer’s Office, Exchequer Office, K. B. Walk, Temp. LONDON. 253 Places of General Resort continued. Dissenters’ (Protestant) Library, Red Cross-street, Cripplegate Docks, East India, Blackwall Docks, West India, Poplar Docks, St. Katharine,’s Tower-hill Docks, London, Wapping Duchy of Lancaster, Lancaster-place, from 9 to 2, and from 4 to 8 Duchy of Cornwall, Office, Somerset-place Eastland Co. Stepney-lane, Wood-street East India House, Leadenhall-street East London Water Works, Old Ford, Bow, Middlesex Equity Exchequer Office, King’s Bench Walk, Inner Temple Error Office, K. B. Chancery-lane Examiner’s Office, Roll’s-yard, Chancery-lane, from 9 to 1, and 3 to 7, in term only Exchequer Office, Inner Temple, from 10 to 12, and 5 to 7 in term time, and 10 to 12 in vacation Exchequer of Pleas Office, Lincoln’s Inn Old Buildings, 9 to 2, and 4 to 8 Exchequer Loan Bill Office, South Sea House Excise Office, Old Broad-street, 9 to 2 Exeter Hall, 372, Strand Faculty Office, Doctors Commons, 9 to 3 Filazer’s Office, in the Common Pleas, Elm Court, Inner Temple Filazer’s Exigenters, and Clerk of the Outlawries Office, Pump-court First Fruits Office, Inner Temple-lane Gazette Office, Canon-row, Westminster Grand Junction Canal Office, Surrey-street, Strand Grand Junction Waterworks Company, South Molton-street Guildhall, King-street, Cheapside Hackney Coach Office, Stamp Office, Somerset House Hanaper Office, George-street, York Buildings Habeas Corpus Office, Chancery-lane Heralds’ College, Doctors Commons Horse Guards, Whitehall Horticultural Society, Regent-street Hudson’s Bay Company, Fenchurch-street Inrolment Office, Chancery-lane, from 9 to 2, and 5 to 7 Insolvent Debtor’s Court, Portugal-street Irish Stamp Office, Lincoln’s Inn, Old Buildings Irish Office, Great Queen-street, Westminster Jewish Hospital, Mile End Judges’ Chambers, Seijeant’s-inn, Chancery-lane, from 10 to 2, and from 4 to 8 after Michaelmas Judgment Office, King’s Bench, Inner Temple King’s Bench Office, King's Bench-walk, Temple, from 10 to 12, and from 4 to 7 in term, and from 3 to 6 in vacation King’s College, Strand 254 LONDON. Places of General Resort continued. King’s Printing Office, Printers’-street King’s Remembrancer's Office, Paper-buildings, Temple King’s Silver Office, Elm-court, Middle Temple, from 10 to 1, and 4 to G Lambeth Waterworks, Blackfriar’s-road Land Tax Office, for Register of Contracts, 9, Lincoln’s-inn-fields Land Tax Office, for London, Somerset House Linnean Society, Soho-square Literary Fund Society for Authors, 4, Lincoln’s-inn-fields London University, Gower-street London Dock Company, Princes-street Bank London Registry Office, Doctors Commons London Institution, Moorfields Lord Chamberlain’s Office, Stable-yard, St. James’s Lord Mayor’s Office, Royal Exchange, 10 to 3 Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer’s Office, Somerset-place Lords, House of, Old Palace-yard, Westminster Master of the Rolls Office, Chancery-lane Marine Society, Bishopsgate-street Within Master in Chancery’s Office, Southampton-buildings, Chancery-lane, from 10 to 2, and from 4 to 8 Master’s Office, King’s Bench Office, Temple.—The Masters and Assist¬ ants attend the Court while sitting in Term, and in vacation from 11 to 2, and 6 to 8 Mechanics’ Institution, 29, Southampton-buildings, Chancery-lane Medical Society of London, Bolt-court, Fleet-street Medical and Chirurgical Society, Berners’-street Medico Botanical Institution, 32, Sackville-street, Piccadilly Merchants’ Seamen’s Office, Royal Exchange Mendicity Society, Red Lion Square Mint, Tower-hill Muster Master General’s Office, Whitehall National Debt Office, Old Jewry Navy Office, Somerset-place, from 10 to 4 New River Company, near Islington Nisi Prius Office, Portugal-street, from 10 to 2, and 4 to 8 Outlawry Office, Pump-court, Temple Ordnance, Board of, Pall-mall Palace, or Marshalsea, Court, Great Scotland-yard, every Friday Parliament Office, House of Lords Patent Office, 4, Old-buildings, Lincoln’s-lnn Petty Bag and Cursitor’s Office, Roll’s-yard, Chancery-lane, from 10 to 2, and 4 to 7 Plantation Office, Whitehall Pleas Office, Lincoln’s-inn Post Horse Tax Office, Took’s-court, Serle-street Post Office, the General, St. Martin’s-le-Grand, from 9 to 8 Prerogative Office, Knight Rider-street LONDON. 255 Places of General Resort continued. Privy Seal Office, 28, Abingdon-street Prothonotaries’ Office, Tanfield-court, Temple Quarter Master General’s Office, Horse-guards Queen Ann’s Bounty Office, Dean’s-yard, Westminster Receiver’s Office for Greenwich Hospital, Tower-hill Receiver-General’s Office for Stamps, Somerset-place Record Office, Tower; and Roll’s-yard, Chancery-lane Receiver-General of House Tax, Northumberland-street Regent Canal Company, Great Russell-street Register Office, Chancery-lane, from 10 to 2, and 4 to 8 Register Office of Deeeds in Middlesex, Bell-yard, 10 to 3 Register Office for Wills, royal and peculiar, of St. Catherine’s, Godli- man-street, Doctors Commons Register Office for Wills, of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s, Carter- lane, Doctors Commons Register Office, for the Land Tax, 9, Lincoln’s-inn-fields Report Office, New-buildings, Chancery-lane, 10 to 1, and 4 to 8 Return Office, for Writs, 2, Tanfield-court, Temple Roll’s Office, Chancery-lane, from 10 to 2, and 5 to 8 Royal Academy of Arts, Somerset-place Royal Academy of Music, Tenterden-street Royal Exchange, Cornhill Royal Society, Somerset-place Royal Society of Literature, St. Martin’s-place School, Charter House Grammar, near Aldersgate-street School, Blue Coat, Westminster School, Grey Coat, Westminster School, Green Coat, Westminster School, Mercers’ Grammar, College-hill, City School, Merchant Tailors’, Suffolk-lane, near Thames-strect School, St. Paul’s, back of Cathedral Seal Office, Inner Temple-lane, from 11 to 12, and 4 to 7 in term, and 4 to 6 in vacation Secondaries Office, King’s Bench-walk, Temple Secondaries Office to the Sheriffs of London, Coleman-street Secretary of State’s Office, Foreign and Colonial, Downing-street; Home, Whitehall Ditto, for Ireland, Great Queen-street, Westminster Sessions House for Middlesex, Clerkenwell-green Sheriff of Middlesex’s Office, Took’s-court, from 10 to 12, and 1 to 7 in term, and 4 to 6 in vacation Sheriff of London’s Office, Lothbury, from 9 to 12, and 4 to 6 Ship Owners’ Society, Princes-street Sierra Leone Company, Birchin-lanc Signet Office, 28, Abingdon-street Sion College, London-wall Six Clerks’ Office, Chancery-lane z 2 256 LONDON. Places of General Resort continued. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 67, Lincoln’s-inn-flelds Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 67, Linc.’-in-fields Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor, 19, Pa¬ ternoster-row Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c., Adelphi, Strand Society for the Detection of Swindlers, 36, Essex-street Society for Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 59, Lincoln s-inn-fields Somerset House, Strand Sons of the Clergy, Society of the, 2, Bloomsbury-place South Sea House, Threadneedle-street Stage Coach Duty Office, Somerset-place Stamp Office, Somerset-place Stationers’ Hall, near Ludgate-street Stock Exchange, near Royal Exchange St. Peter’s Abbey Church, Westminster St. Paul’s Cathedral, top of Ludgate-street, City Subpoena Office, Chancery-lane, from 9 to 2, and 4 to 8 Surgeons, Royal College of, Lincoln’s-inn-fields Surveyor of Crown Lands, Somerset-place Tax Office, Somerset-place, from 10 to 2 Tenths Office, Garden-court, Temple, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurs¬ day, from 9 to 1, till October 21 Town Clerk’s Office, of City, Guildhall Tower of London, Tower-hill Treasury Office, Whitehall Treasurer’s Office, for the Inner Temple, Lamb’s-building-passage Ditto, for the Middle Temple, Hall-staircase Trinity House, Great Tower-hill, and at Deptford Twopenny Post, chief Office, St. Martin’s-le-Grand Vicar-General (Archbishop of Canterbury’s) Office, Bell-court, Great Knight Rider-street, Doctors Commons, from 9 to 3 Victualling Office, Somerset-place, from 10 to 4 Vote Office of House of Commons, Palace-yard War Office, Horse Guards Warrant of Attorneys’ Office, Pump-court, Middle Temple Waterman’s Hall, St. Mary’s-hill, Lower Thames-street Western Literary Institution, 50, Leicester-square Westminster Hall, Palace-yard Westminster Sessions House, near the Abbey West India Dock Company Office, 1, Billiter-square West Middlesex Waterworks, New-road, Marylebone Wine License Office, Old Broad-street PRISONS. Borough Compter, Tooley-street, Southwark Bridewell, City, Bridge-street, Blackfriars Bridewell Prison, Tothil 1-fields, Westminster LONDON. 257 Places of General Resort continued. County Gaol for Surrey, Horsemonger-lane, Newington Fleet Prison, Farringdon-street House of Correction, Cold Bath-fields King’s Bench Prison, St. George’s-fields Ludgate Prison, for Debtors who are freemen of the City, Whitecross-st. Marshalsea Gaol, Southwark New Compter, Giltspur-street Newgate Prison, Old Bailey New Prison, Clerkenwell Penitentiary, Millbank Prison for the Liberty of the Tower of London, Wellclose-square White Cross-street Prison, for Debtors Whitechapel Prison for Debtors in the Five Pound and Manor of Stepney Courts INNS OF COURT. Barnard’s Inn, Holborn Clement’s Inn, Strand Clifford’s Inn, Fleet-street Furnival’s Inn, Holborn Gray’s Inn, Holborn Lincoln’s Inn, westward of Chancery-lane Lyon’s Inn, Holywell-street, Strand New Inn, Wych-street, Strand Serjeants’ Inn, Chancery-lane Serjeants’ Inn, Fleet-street Staple’s Inn, Holborn Symond’s Inn, Chancery-lane Temple, Inner, near Temple-bar Temple, Middle, next ditto Thavies Inn, Holborn CHARITIES. Adult Orphan Institution, Regent’s park Asylum for Orphan Girls, Westminster-road Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Children, Kent-road Bartholomew’s St., Hospital, West Smithfield Bethlehem Hospital, St. George’s-fields Bridewell Hospital, Bridge-street British Lying-in-Hospital, Brownlow-street, Long-acre Charter House, Charter House-square Charity for the Relief of Indigent Widows and Children of Clergy¬ men, Office, 10, Bedford-row Christ’s Hospital, Newgate-street Clergy Orphan Corporation, St. John’s Wood, Marylebonc Corporation for Sick and Maimed Seamen in the Merchants’ Service, Royal Exchange Covent Garden Theatrical Fund, Harp-street z 3 258 LONDON. Places of General Resort continued. Drury Lane Theatrical Fund, Little Russell-street Freemasons’ Charity for Female Children, Westminster-road, Southwk. French Hospital, City-road Foundling Hospital, Guild ford-street George’s St. Hospital, Hyde-park-corner Guy’s Hospital, St. Thomas’s-street Lock Hospital, Grosvenor-place London Hospital, Whitechapel-road London Orphan Asylum, Lower Clapton London Ophthalmic Infirmary, Moor-fields London Female Penitentiary Pentonville Luke’s, St. Hospital, for Lunatics, Old-street-road Magdalen Hospital, Blackfriars’-road Middlesex Hospital, Berner’s-street Military Asylum, Chelsea Morden College, Blackheath Naval Asylum, Blackheath Orphan School, City-road Refuge for the Destitute, Hackney-road Royal Jennerian Society, 14, Salisbury-square, Fleet-street Royal Infirmary for Cataract, 13, Little Portland-street, Cavendish-sq. Royal Infirmary for Diseases of the Eyes, Cork-street, Burlington- gardens Samaritan Society, London Hospital School for the Indigent Blind, St. George’s-street Scottish Hospital and Corporation, Crane-court, Fleet-street Seaman’s Hospital Ship Society, Office 19, Bishopsgate-street, Within Small Pox Hospital, Pancras Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor, Piccadilly Society for the Relief of Prisoners for Small Debts, Craven-st., Strand Thomas’s, St. Hospital, Southwark Universal Dispensary for Children, Waterloo-road Welsh Charity School, Gray’s-inn-lane Westminster Infirmary, James’s-street Westminster Lying-in Hospital, Bridge-road PLACES OF AMUSEMENT, EXHIBITIONS, &c., WITH THEIR SITUATIONS, AND PRICES AND TIMES OF ADMISSION. Italian Opera-House , or Her Majesty’s Theatre, situated at the corner of the Haymarket and Pall Mall. Boxes and stalls may be engaged at any of the booksellers at the West end of the town, and pit tickets purchased at 8s. 6d. each. Open at seven, performance commences at eight. Theatre Royal , Drury-Lane , situated in Bridge-street, Covent Gar¬ den. Boxes 7s., half-price 3s. 6d.; pit 3s. 6d., half-price 2s.; lower gallery 2s., half-price Is.; upper gallery Is., half-price 6d. Doors open at half-past six, performance commences at seven; half-price at nine. LONDON. 259 Places of Amusement , fyc., continued. Theatre-Royal , Covent-Garden , principal entrance in Bow-street. Terms of admission, and times of opening and performance as at Drury- Lane. Theatre-Royal, Hay market, (Summer Theatre) opens in June and closes in October. Boxes 5s.; pit 3s.; lower gallery 2s.; upper gallery Is.; no half-price. Doors open at six, performance commences at seven. English Opera-House, Wellington-street, Strand. The Adelphi Theatre, situated in the Strand, between Bedford-street and Southampton-street. Boxes 4s., half-price 2s.; pit 2s., half-price Is.; gallery Is., half-price 6d. Open at six, performance commences quarter before seven ; half-price half-past eight. Olympic Theatre , situated in Wych-street, near Newcastle-street, Strand. Terms of admission same as Adelphi. Doors open at half¬ past six, performance commences at seven ; half-price half-past eight. Surrey Theatre, situated at the extremity of the Blackfriars Boad. Terms of admission same as Adelphi. Doors open at half-past five, performance commences at half-past six; half-price at half-past eight. Astley’s Amphitheatre , situate near Westminster Bridge and nearly opposite the York Road. Terms of admission same as Adelphi. Hours of opening and performance same as Surrey. Coburg Theatre , situate in Waterloo Bridge-road. Terms of admis¬ sion and hours of opening and performance same as Astley’s. Sadlers Wells, situate a little to the south of Islington, near the New River Head Terms of admission and hours same as Astley’s. City Theatre, situate in Milton-street, Finsbury-square. Terms ol admission and hours same as Adelphi. Queen's Theatre, situate in Tottenham-street, Tottenham Court Road. Terms of admission, &c., same as Astley’s. Pavilion Theatre, situate in the White Chapel Road. Terms of admission, &c., same as Adelphi. Garrick Theatre, situated in Goodman’s Fields. Boxes 2s.; pit Is.; gallery Is. Doors open at six, performance commences at \ past six; half-price half-past eight St. James's Theatre, Kmg-street, St. James’s. Royal Victoria Theatre , Waterloo Road, Strand Theatre, Strand. Vauxhall Gardens, situate on the Surrey side of the water, not far from Vauxhall Bridge. The season commences in May and continues till the end of August, during which the Gardens are open three nights a week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Doors open at seven, performances commence at eight. Concert of Ancient Music, Hanover-square Concert Rooms. St. Paul's Cathedral, situate at the top of Ludgate-street. Open for divine service three times every day in the year—at six in the morning, summer, and seven, winter; \ before 10 in the forenoon, and a £ after three in the afternoon. At all other times payment for admission is the only passport; terms—Clock and Great Bell 2d., Library 2d., z 4 260 LONDON. Places of General Resort continued. Whispering gallery 2d., Ball Is. 6d., Geometrical Staircase 2d., Stone or Iron Galleries 2d. Bazaars , Soho-square, Oxford-street, Baker-street, and Pantheon, Oxford-street. The Monument , situate on Fish-street Hill. Admission each person 6d. The Tower situate on Tower-hill, and containing within its area, the Bloody Tower, the Jewel Office, the White Tower, the Chapel, the Wakefield Tower, (in which is the "Record Office and in which are kept the Rolls from the time of King John to the reign of Richard III., and the Beauchamp Tower. Terms of admission—to the six Armouries, 2s. each person; to the Jewel Room, ditto, and a small gratuity to the person who conducts the visitor. Thames Tunnel, designed to form a subterraneous communication between Rotherhithe and Wapping. Admission, Is. each person. Somerset House, situate in the Strand, where the annual Exhibition of Pictures, Sculptures, &c., by the Members of the Royal Academy, is held, and which generally opens on the first Monday in May. Ad¬ mission, each person, Is.; catalogue Is. Royal Gallery of Practical Science, Adelaide-street, West Strand. Admission Is. Polytechnic Institution, 309, Regent-street. Admission Is Linwood's (Miss) Exhibition of Fancy Needle-work, Leicester- square Admission 2s.; catalogues 6d. Society of British Artists (Exhibition of) Suffolk-street, Pall Mall East. Admission Is.; catalogues 6d. Royal Institution, Albemarle-street. National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross. It is open to the public, gratis, on the first four days in every week ; and the two other days are reserved in order to enable artists to pursue their avoca¬ tions undisturbed. Catalogues 6d. and Is. each. The British Institution, Pall Mall. Open during half the year. Admission Is. ; catalogues 6d. The Cosmorama, 209, Regent-street. Admission Is.; catalogues 6d. Zoological Museum, Leicester-square. Admission on producing an order from a member and payment of Is. Madame Tussaud's Exhibition of Wax-work, Baker-street. Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly. British Museum, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury.—It is open to the public, gratis, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with the exceptions of the months of August and September, and the different holydays, from ten till four o’clock. Children under ten years of age are not admitted. Admittance to the reading-room, which is open from ten till four every day, Sunday excepted, is procured by application from a third person, known personally or by reputation to the librarian. Hunterian Museum, College of Surgeons, Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Apollonicon, Great St. Martin’s Lane.—Performance on Saturday. The Diorama, Regent’s Park. Pit 2s., boxes 3s. LONDON. 261 Places of General Resort continued. Panorama, Leicester'-square. Admission Is. Colosseum. This magnificent building forms one of the great attrac¬ tions of the Regent’s Park, and contains an excellent panorama of the metropolis, as viewed from the top of St. Paul’s. There are various other attractions, such as the Swiss Cottage, &c. Admission to view the whole, 2s. The Evening Entertainments are frequented by the first company. The admission is Is. Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park. Admission obtained by an order, signed by a member, and the payment of Is. at the entrance, any hour from ten o’clock to sunset. Tickets may be had at the Museum of the Society, 28, Leicester-square. Surrey Zoological Gardens, Manor-place, Walworth. Admission on the same terms as the preceding Westminster Abbey, opposite Old Palace Yard. Admission during divine service gratis, any other time, Is. 3d. Botanical Gardens, Chelsea Open for public inspection. Dulwich Gallery, at the village of Dulwich. Open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year. Tickets gratis, to be procured at any respectable print-seller’s in London. HACKNEY COACH AND CHARIOT FARES. Commencing January 5, 1832. For any Distance not exceeding One Mile, Is.; and for any Distance exceeding One Mile, alter the rate of 6d. for every Half Mile, or any fractional part of Half a Mile. FARES COMPUTED BY TIME. Not exceeding s. d. Not exceeding s. d . 30 Minutes. . 1 0 2 Hours . 4 0 45 Minutes. . 1 6 2 Hours and a Quarter.. 4 0 1 Hour . .2 0 2 Hours and a Half.. .. 5 0 1 Hour and a Quarter 2 6 1 Hour and a Half .. 3 0 1 Llour and 3 Quarters 3 6 2 Hours and 3 Hours ... 3 Quarters And so on for any Time exceeding Three Hours, after the rate of 6d. for. every Fifteen Minutes, or frac¬ tional part of Fifteen Minutes, The Driver has the Option to charge by Distance or Time. Cabriolet Fares are One-Third less than the above. WATERMEN’S FARES, 7b ^ From Above London Bridge - - Southwark Bridge Blackfriars’ Bridgc- Waterloo Bridge Westminster Bridge Lambeth, or Horsef. Strs. Vauxhall Bridge - Nine Elms, or opposite Red House, or opposite - Swan Stairs, Chel. or op Chelsea Bridge London Bridge Southwark Bridge Blackfriars Bridge Waterloo 1 Bridge Westmnsr. Bridge Lamb, or Horsef. S. Vauxhall Bridge NineElmd or opposite! Red House or opposite Swan Strs. Chelsea Chelsea Bridge s d 0 0 s d 0 3 s d 0 6 s d 0 9 s d 1 0 s d 1 3 s d 1 6 s d 1 9 s d 2 0 s d 2 3 s d 2 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 2 0 2 3 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 2 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 I 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 2 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 2 3 2 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 2 6 2 3 2 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 To j From Belo w London Bridge Iron Gate, or opposite Union Stairs, or opposite King Edwd. Stairs, or op. Shad. Dock Stairs, or op. Kidney Stairs,or opposite Limehouse-Hole Stairs Torrington Arms, Lm. R. Deptford, George’s Stairs Dcptfd. Low Water Gate London Bridge Iron Gate Union Stairs KingEdw. Stairs Shadwell Dock Kidney Stairs Limehouse Hole Stairs Limehouse Gate Deptford Geo. Stairs Deptford L. W. Gate Greenwich ^ o *5 O s d 0 3 s d 0 6 s d 0 9 s d 1 0 s d 1 3 s d 1 6 s d 1 9 6' d 2 0 s d 2 3 s d 2 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 2 0 2 3 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 2 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 9 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 3 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 1 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 0 9 2 0 1 9 1 6 1 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 6 |0 3 0 0 0 3 0 6 2 3 2 0 1 9 1 6 1 3 1 0 0 9;0 6 0 3 0 0 0 3 Greenwich (2 6 2 3:2 0 I 9 1 6:1 3 1 00 9 j. . — 10 6 0 3 0 0 LONDON. 263 Watermens Fares continued. The stairs or Landing-place in New Palace Yard to be considered as the Stairs of Westminster Bridge. From Crawley’s Wharf, Greenwich eastward, to or towards Broad- house Point, or Gray’s, Six-pence for every half-mile. The stairs or landing places at either end and on either side of the aforesaid bridges to be considered as part of the respective bridges. From Chelsea Bridge westward, to or towards Windsor, at the rate of sixpence per half-mile for Oars, or threepence per hall-mile for Scullers. Over the water, direct, between Windsor and Crawley’s Wharf, Greenwich, (excepting the Sunday ferries), for one person three-pence, two persons three halfpence each, exceeding two persons one penny each. To or from ships or vessels lying opposite, westward of Greenwich, for one person two-pence, exceeding one person one penny each ; and where the distance from the shore to the ship does not exceed the dis¬ tance directly across the river, the fare across the river shall be deemed and taken to be the fare to or from ships in all such cases. To or from ships or vessels eastward of Greenwich, after the rate of sixpence for every half-mile of distance. To or from steam or other vessels, for passengers, for one person, four-pence, exceeding one person, three-pence each, including luggage, not exceeding fifty-six pounds for each person. Over the water between Crawley’s wharf aforesaid and Broadness Point, for one person sixpence, exceeding one person three-pence each. Persons taking a boat between Windsor and Crawley’s Wharf afore¬ said, to be rowed upon, about, or up and down the river (not going di¬ rectly up or down from place to place) to pay at the rate of Oars, one shilling, and a Sculler Sixpence for every half-hour they respectively shall be so engaged. Watermen detained by passengers stopping at ships, wharfs, or otherwise, to be paid for time of distance, conformably to the rates here¬ inbefore set forth respectively, at the option of the Watermen. Oars' Fare —Six Persons Sculler's Fare —Four Persons. No Sculler to be compelled to go below Crawley’s Wharf, aforesaid. PASSAGE BOATS. From London Bridge, above the said Bridge, to Chelsea s. d. Bridge, each passenger - 0 6 To Wandsworth - - 0 7 To Putney, Fulham, or Barn Elms - - - 0 8 Hammersmith or Chiswick 0 9 To Barnes or Mortlake -10 To Brentford - - - 1 3 To Islewoith - - - 1 3 To Richmond r - -13 To Hampton Court, or s. d. Hampton Tow r n - - 1 9 To Sunbury, or Walton-on - Thames - - - 1 9 To Shepperton, Chertsey, Weybridge or Laleham - 2 0 To Staines - - - 2 6 To Datchet or Windsor • 3 0 From LondonBridge below the said bridge to Dept¬ ford or Greenwich - - 0 6 264 LONDON. Watermen's Fares , fyc. continued. To Twickenham or Ted- dington, - - - 1 6 To Kingston - . - 1 6 To Blackwall - To Woolwich - To Greenwich- 0 9 1 0 1 6 Oars' Fare —Eight Passengers. Scullers Fare —Six Passengers. PENALTIES FOR BREACH OF DUTY, &c. As fixed by the 7th $ 8th Geo. IV. cap. 75, and the Rules and Bye Laws of the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen. Sect. 62—Watermen demanding and taking more than fare, not exceeding £2. Sect. 66—Waterman to have a list of fares in his boat, and if not able, or refusing to produce it, or producing a false copy, or not per¬ mitting the passenger to examine it, such passenger is discharged from paying his fare, and the offender subject to a fine, not exceed¬ ing £5. Sect. 67—Avoiding or attempting to avoid a passenger at plying place, or omitting to ply, or refusing to take a passenger, or represent¬ ing that he is hired when he is not, or not answering when the number of bis boat is called, not exceeding £5. Sect. 68—Plying and afterwards refusing to take a passenger to the place directed, or unnecessarily delaying a passenger by not bringing up his boat, or continuing at the stairs after the passen¬ ger is in the boat, or not proceeding with due diligence to the place directed, not exceeding £5. Sect. 69—Refusing to permit, or hindering any person from reading the name and number painted on his boat, or to tell his Christian or surname, or the number of his boat, on being paid his fare, or in answer giving a false name or number, or making use of any scurrilous or abusive language, not exceeding £5. BYE LAWS. Sect. 2—Waterman to have a backboard to his boat not less than ten inches in depth, and his name and usual plying place painted in capital letters upon the linings on each side of his boat, just abaft the backboard, and the registered number of his boat painted in plain figures on both sides of his boat, just abaft the wherrit stop¬ per, and the number of passengers licensed to be carried in such boat, painted in plain letters and figures, not less than two inches long, and broad in proportion, and kept legible on the front of the backboard, six inches above the sitting board. And any person using a boat without the real owner’s name, or usual plying place, or registered number of persons licensed to be carried therein, being painted or legible thereon, or wilfully concealing, obliter¬ ating, or altering any of the words, letters, figures, or numbers on the boat, £5. Sect. 9—To keep the stairs and causeway at which he is registered, or LONDON. 265 Watermens Fares, fyc. continued. most usually plies, clean; and in default, or leaving his boat aground, or washing it on the causeway during the usual hours of plying, £1. Sect. 11—Plying, or being at any plying place, and not having his boat clean and fit for receiving of passengers, £1. Sect. 18—Plying his boat at any stairs or causeway, and letting it remain in that situation, while wilfully absent, or not being ready to take a passenger into his boat in turn, or as required, £\. Sect. 20—Refusing to give his name, or the name of any other water¬ man standing at any plying place, upon request, or giving a false or fictitious name, or refusing to give the number of the boat, or his name, or the name of the person whose turn it is to be first oars, or first sculler, ,£1. Sect. 25—Improperly placing his boat, or by any means obstructing any other waterman in taking in or landing a passenger, or obstructing a passenger in getting in or out of a boat, £1. Sect. 26—Fastening or permitting to be fastened to his boat, any other boat, or towing the same without the consent of all his passengers ; or fastening or permitting his boat to be fastened to any other boat, in order to be towed, without the consent of all the passen¬ gers in the boat fastened to, £2. Sect. 27—Agreeing to take for hire any lesser sum than the rate allowed, and afterwards demanding more than the sum agreed for, £2. Sect. 40—To take regular turn in receiving or taking passengers or goods from steam boats; and only two boats to be placed aside any steam boat at the same time, in turn. Any passenger on board a steam boat may employ any waterman he may prefer, to carry him or his goods therefrom, such waterman taking his regu¬ lar turn, but not otherwise. Waterman previous to taking turn as aforesaid, shall lay with his boat upon his oars, at least one boat’s length distant from any other boat laying alongside such steam boat, for taking in passengers or goods, and shall not approach nearer than the aforesaid distance until after the boat taking in shall have proceeded two boat lengths therefrom, £5. Sect. 41—Steam boats and other passage boats to be under weigh, and proceed on their passage within fifteen minutes after the time fixed for their departure, £5. Sect. 42—No steam boat or vessel to navigate between London Bridge and the eastern limits of Limehouse Reach, at a greater speed than the rate of five miles an hour, £5. Sect. 52—Waterman or other person carrying a passenger to or from any steam or other passage boat, to lay his boat broadside towards or alongside of the causeway stairs, or shore, or of the steam or other passage boat, to or from which such passenger shall take water or land, so as such passenger may get into or out of the same boat at the midships, unless rendered imprac ticable by stress of weather, or unavoidable necessity, £5. 266 LONDON. FARES o <6 a3 'zi c/3 VT3 0) » VH ^ 1 TICKET PORTERS. cd | <4-1 'cS CD 03 p o §s r-H 03 > 03 « 5 a cS w o O 1 H w l rO 5*S s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. r 7) 10. For piling luggage on the roof, the height of which exceeds ten feet nine inches from the ground, £5 for every inch it exceeds. For refusing to allow a passenger, having paid for his place, or the toll-collector (if called upon by him) to measure luggage, or count passengers, £5. No luggage on the roof without a distinct division for the same by a rail. Every stage coach to have a bolt or fastening inside the door, and the driver to lock and drag the wheel when required to do so by any passenger, or forfeit not more than £5 nor less than 10s. N.B.—There are several other excellent regulations in the Act.— Vide 50 George III., cap. 48. RATES OF CARTAGE. All goods, wares, and merchandises whatsoever, weighing 14 cwt or under, shall be deemed half a load; and 14 cwt. to 26 cwt. shall be deemed a load. From any part of the City of London the Rates for carrying thereof shall be as follows: Within, and to the extension of half a mile, for halfa load or under, 2s. 2d.; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 3s. 6d —Half a mile to a mile, for half a load or under, 2s. 9d.; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 4s. 4d.—A mile to one mile and a half, for half a load or under, 3s. 6d.; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 4s. lid.—A mile and a half to two miles, for half a load or under, 4s. 4d ; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 5s. 7d.—Two miles and within two miles and a half, for half g load or under, 4s. lid.; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 7s.—Two miles and a half and within three miles, for half a load or under, 5s. 7d.; above half a load and not exceeding a load, 7s.—And so on to the extent of ground limited by Act of Parliament.—For all merchandises and commodities that cannot be divided, weighing above 26 cwt. the carman shall, over and above the rates above mentioned, receive at the rate of 2d. per cwt. LONDON. 267 Rates of Cartage continued. for every 1 cwt. exceeding 20 cwt.; and so in proportion for less than 1 cwt.—For the carriage of all dry goods, wares, and merchandises, under 10 cwt. and which shall be taken up in the city of London, and shall not be drawn up hill, and shall be carted by any licensed cart, within the distance of a quarter of a mile, Is. lOd. RATES FOR CONVEYING PARCELS FROM INNS, 8c c. For any parcel not exceeding 56lb, the distance not exceeding a quarter of a mile, 3d.; half a mile, 4d.; one mile, 6d.; one mile and a half, 8d.; two miles, lOd.; and 3d. for every additional half mile.— Any porter demanding more, to forfeit 20s. or not less than 5s —Any inn or warehouse keeper neglecting to send a ticket with every parcel, containing the name or description of the inn or warehouse whence the same is sent, with the Christian name and surname of the porter who delivers it, and the carriage and porterage marked thereon, forfeits 40s. or not less than 5s.—And the porter not leaving the ticket with the parcel, or altering, or wilfully obliterating anything written thereon, forfeits 40s.; and if he demands more than is written on such ticket, 20s.—Every parcel arriving by coach, to be delivered within six hours after such arrival (if not after four in the afternoon or before seven in the morning, then within six hours after seven in the morning); or by waggon, within 24 hours after such arrrival, or innkeeper to forfeit 20s. or not less than 10s.—Every porter misbehaving, forfeits 20s. or not less than 10s. BANKERS IN LONDON AND WESTMINSTER. Ashley and Son, 135, Regent Street Barclay, Bevan, Tritton, & Co. 54, Lombard Street Barnard, Dimsdale, Barnard and Dimsdale, 50, Cornhill Barnetts, Hoare, & Co. 62, Lombard Street Biggerstaff, W. and I. 8, West Smithfield Bosanquet & Co. 73, Lombard Street Bouverie, Norman, and Murdoch, ll,Haymarket Brown, Janson, & Co. 32, Abchurch-lane Call (Sir W. P. Bart.), Marten, & Co. 25, Old Bond Street Child & Co, 1, Fleet Street, next to Temple Bar Cockburns Jan. 5, July 5 3 and a half per cent. New, Tues. Wed. Thur. & Fri. t 5 per cent. Annuities, New, Tues. W'ed. and Fri.. J Life Annuities, if transferable between January 5 and April 4, or between July 5 and October 9, payable January 5 and July 5. If transferred between April 5 and July 4, or between October 10 and January 4, payable on April 5 and October 10. Hours for buying and selling, 10 to 1; and transferring, 11 to half- past 2; for accepting, 9 to 3 ; payment of dividends, 9 to 3. SOUTH SEA HOUSE. Stock, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Jan. 5, July 5 3 per cent. Old Annuity, Monday, Wed. and Fri.. .. April 5, Oct. 10 3 per cent. New Ann. Tuesday, Thurs. and 3 per cent. 1751, Tuesday and Thursday... Hours of transferring, 11 to half-past 2; receiving dividends, 9 to 2. EAST INDIA HOUSE. Stock, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.Jan. 5, July 5 Interest on India Bonds due.Mar.3l, Sept.30 Hours of transfer, 11 to 3 ; payment of dividends, 9 to 3. Tickets for preparing the Transfer of Stock must be given in at each Office before 1 o’clock. At the East India House before 2. Private Transfers may be made at other times than as above, the books not being shut, by paying at the Bank, South Sea House, and India House, 2s. 6d. extra for each transfer. Powers of attorney for the sale or transfer of Stock to be left at the Bank, &c. for examination one day before they can be acted upon ; if for receiving dividends, present them at the time the first dividend is payable. Probates of Wills, Letters of Administration, and other proofs of decease, must be left at the Bank, &c. for registration from two to three clear days, exclusive of holi days. Jan. 5, July 5 270 LONDON. TABLE OF HIGH WATER, AT THE UNDERMENTIONED PLACES. d d g a •5 bo •S .s be ft C C3 ■s* g.a r-i SS •■s s ’a* 3 O a> o S 5-1 »-* 03 0> rd AGE. 0&15 3 18 4 19 5 20 6 21 7 22 8 23 9 24 10 25 11 26 12 27 13 28 14 29 H3 rd as ® g a -P cs Pn . a> ^ a* e .gr S*!§ bOhH 53 CO —r ~ S 93 g 3 Cd g Cm »<§§ a e .f a> !» d > r d o rd O -i_ srt . gsl £ S g «o s « M h. 11 12 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 10 m. 38 26 14 2 50 38 26 14 2 50 38 26 14 2 50 4 s o Fh o Is (3 03 03 0) £ S Ph^ 'SJ 03 ®3 OS rr-T a'S aS cu .d « O r^J O aS 'o TS cd ® ¥ T3 ~ S3 k. 3 aS £PP tb . § 1« o O ■+- fl r P £ k fc- h. 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 9 10 11 11 12 m 30 18 6 54 42 30 18 6 54 42 30 18 6 54 42 •Sfcjg. - ■+- GO O ~ 43 ^ >>r°. 53 aS H ~cq •+- o rd I fi m !■§ d o Sw >P of c3 d 45 . o g ^ * &« S i » k 53 s^ JO® 111 s g 5 ! S3 3 "d h. 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 1 2 m 48 36 24 12 0 48 36 24 12 0 48 36 24 12 0 rn tC co rH g*i k aS Ck 111 leg «I1 .f 5 r d - c* .O dj s 3 h. 6 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 1 2 2 3 4 5 m. 8 56 44 32 20 8 56 44 32 20 8 56 44 32 20 S3 S3 k> Hi d I I * *3 k> ^ WM d-” aS S3 bo g ^3 5 H aS co H O OD W c eS <3 ^ TO PQpq bOrd ^ ■SO® pp ,_r'3' co* o r o be O - 7 * S3 g,CZ2.~ h H M « -5 es J o ^ m. 33 21 9 57 45 33 21 9 57 45 33 21 9 57 48 u • d o 03 H ^ o 'l rS ® -g 8 GC O _c3 i pp h. 10 11 12 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 m. 48 36 24 12 0 48 36 24 12 0 48 36 24 12 0 (-H <3 13 K, c3 h«H d, e rd 'oT'Ph dS 02 H •+• X o "d k a> £ v r3 JZJ g a> ^ o a O OS P4 rg e g «r o OS rd pp02 a « o 3 > g 5i O as cd S3 ^ d rd h. in. 9 3 9 51 10 39 11 27 12 15 1 3 2 21 3 9 8 45 Explanation .—Find the Moon’s Age in the first Column; thus on the 1st and 16th Days, it will he High Water at 26m. past 12, at all the Places mentioned in the second column; at 18m. past 2, at those in the third column; and so on of all the rest. The a designates that at those places it is high water rather sooner, the + rather later, than the other places.