the area beneath the building a pitched market for corn is kept on Saturdays; a general market, extensively supplied from the surrounding country, being held every Wednesday and Saturday. A little history attaches itself to the stone pillars which apparently support the roof of this corn market :-When Sir Christopher Wren had finished the building, the corporation proposed having a jolly dinner, but, like good cautious men, they had fears respecting the roof bearing the weight, and represented their alarm to the architect. In order to satisfy them he put up the present stone pillars, which, however, never touched the beams, as may still be seen, and they have supported corporation and election weights ever since, without the assistance of the pillars! In the year 1830, some old buildings attached to the eastern side of the Town-hall, being in a ruinous state, were taken down, and upon their site the corporation has erected the present handsome and commodious market for the sale of meat, poultry, butter, &c. There are three fairs-Easter Tuesday, July 5th, and October 24th; the latter continues three days, but the two former are not much attended. In a line with High-street is Thames-street, in which is

THE THEATRE ROYAL,

Erected in 1815, at an expense of nearly £6,000. The exterior has very little ornament, but the audience part is extremely neat and elegant it is semicircular, and contains two tiers of boxes, a pit, and gallery. The proscenium is chaste and tasteful; two pilasters, of the Doric order, support on each side an entablature of white marble, which is united by a graceful curve to the horizontal part of the ceiling. The fronts of the boxes are ornamented with designs from the antique, and the royal arms surmount the entablature, (said to have been furnished by Reeve the actor), upon the frieze of which is the motto, "Exemplar vitæ morumque." One of the ordinances of Eton College restricts the performance of theatrical entertainments within ten miles of that building; the license from the Lord Chamberlain, therefore, only permits the theatre to be opened during the vacations, with the exception of the week when Ascot Races take place, at which time performances are allowed to be represented. The theatre will contain 700 persons, producing, when filled, a receipt of near £100.

At the bottom of Thames-street is the bridge connecting the towns of Windsor and Eton. It is 200 feet in length, and 29 feet wide, and has three arches of cast-iron, springing from piers of granite; the centre arch is 55 feet span. It was erected in the years 1823-4, at the expense of the corporation, who, under the authority of an act of parliament, levy a toll on horses and carriages passing over it. A projection, called the Cobler, in the river, erected for the purpose of

facilitating the navigation, has puzzled many persons as to the derivation of the word. The male swan is called a Cob. This was a favourite haunt of these birds, from whence probably Cob and Lair, the latter word signifying a resting place.

"And mossy pebbles be the noon-tide lair."

The principal streets are High-street, Park-street, Thames-street, Castle-street, Peascod-street, and Sheet-street. The barracks for the infantry are situated in the latter; the building is spacious and well adapted for its purpose, though its situation is too confined to admit of its appearing to advantage: the apartments will contain nearly 1,000 men. The cavalry barracks are at Spital, about half a mile distant from the town; they are not so extensive as those appropriated for the infantry, but, owing to the open plan of the building, it presents a more pleasing appearance. There are several small streets-Queen-street, St. Alban's-street, Church-street, George-street, (at the bottom of which stands the Borough Gaol), William-street, Bier-lane, Clewer-lane, and Datchet-lane.* Nearly at the end of the latter is the Residence of the Naval Knights; this institution was founded in 1728, by Mr. Samuel Travers, who bequeathed the residue of his estates for the settlement of an annuity, which has now become very considerable, on seven gentlemen, superannuated or disabled lieutenants of British men-of-war; funds were likewise assigned for the erection of a suitable residence. The building consists of seven distinct apartments, and a dining room for the general use of the establishment; the front faces the east, and is ornamented with a light portico, forming a pleasing object when viewed from the north terrace of the castle, and the castle itself is seen to great advantage from the garden.

On the east side of the New-road, between Sheet-street and Peascod-street, is a plot of meadow land, with a gravelled walk round, called the Bachelor's Acre. The property of the soil is vested in the corporation, but the inhabitants of Windsor possess, by virtue of an award under the Inclosure Act, the right of playing therein at all sports and pastimes. An annual revel is held here on the 17th of August, when prizes are given to the successful competitors in the various amusements. On several occasions of public rejoicing, entertainments have been given in this place to the poorer classes, on one of which (the commemoration of George III.'s completing the fiftieth year of his reign) the festival was honoured by the presence of Queen Charlotte and the Princesses. The Bachelor's have erected an obelisk, with an inscription detailing the circumstances, in remembrance of the royal visit to "this, their acre."

* Besides the streets above enumerated, a number of dwelling houses have been erected on the west and south sides of the town:-York-place, Brunswickterrace, Gloucester-place, the New road, Grove place, and Clarence-crescent, are the most extensive of these new buildings.

There remains but one more subject connected with this ancient borough to which it is here necessary to advert-the great number of

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

Few provincial towns, of equal extent and population, can vie with Windsor in the variety of channels through which active benevolence is employed in diffusing advantages of every nature among the more necessitous classes of the inhabitants. The annual income of the endowed charities alone amounts to nearly £900., exclusive of the establishments supported by voluntary subscription. The first institution for the education of youth is the Free School, a neat brick edifice at the north-east corner of the churchyard, erected in 1706, under the patronage of Queen Anne; thirty-six boys and thirty girls are here educated and clothed, at an expense of £250. per annum. At the bottom of Peascod-street are the National Schools and the Infant School, for children of both sexes; these buildings have residences for the masters and mistresses in the centre, with a schoolroom on each wing, and were erected in 1819, the expense being defrayed by voluntary donations. The advantages of this system of education, by which learning, piety, and morality are united, yearly become more apparent, the number of children having constantly increased. In 1784, a school for the maintenance and tuition of twenty girls was instituted, under the patronage of Queen Charlotte, called the Ladies' Charity; the girls are clothed, educated, and provided with servants' places upon their leaving the school. The British School was opened in 1842, for the education of an unlimited number of children. It is a neat building, situated in the New-road. The Savings' Bank and the Dispensary, the latter for the relief of the sick poor is situated between Sheet-street and Peascod-street, and derives its income chiefly from annual subscription; this charity has afforded most valuable benefits to the poorer classes, and is honoured with the munificent patronage of Her Majesty. By aid of a Ladies' Charity for Lying-in women, under the patronage of Her Majesty and the Queen Dowager, deserving females are supplied with pecuniary assistance and articles of clothing during the period of maternal indisposition. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the Bible Society, have both active auxiliaries in the district associations of the town. In addition to these institutions, whose benefits are bestowed without limitation as to the number of applicants, there are, in the town and immediate suburbs, almshouses for twenty-eight poor persons, with an endowed income of £103. 17s. ; and nearly £100. is annually distributed in bread to the aged and infirm. Upwards of £200. is expended in the following charity, founded by Archbishop Laud, and enlarged by T. Randue, Esq. :for two years successively seven boys are apprenticed with a premium

:

of £15. each, and the same sum is paid to seven young men whose term of apprenticeship then expires; in every third year £20. each is given as a marriage portion unto ten servant maids, who have been three years in one situation. Mrs. Thomas, relict of Dr. Thomas, by her will, dated January 15, 1821, appointed the corporation of Windsor her residuary legatees, in trust, for the payment of an annuity of £10. each to fourteen poor widows, parishioners of Windsor, members of the Church of England, and not less than fifty years of age. In 1833, Mrs. Caroline Smith left £200. in addition to Mrs. Thomas's bequest, and also £20. per annum to be given to the poor in bread and fuel.* The last benefaction is that of the late Sir John Elley, who bequeathed to the corporation of Windsor £1,000., in trust, to be lent, free of interest, in sums, not exceeding £100. each, to necessitous tradespeople, inhabitants of the borough, upon their personal security, for a term of not more than three years.

CHAP. II.

THE CASTLE.

THIS majestic structure, so justly termed an emblem of the British constitution, in its strength, its grandeur, and its antiquity; is built upon the summit of a hill, on the declivity of which the town stands, and forms a most magnificent feature in the prospect for many miles round. Edward the Confessor granted the site of both the town and castle to the Abbey of St. Peter at Westminster; but the eligibility of its situation as a military post, being perceived by William the Conqueror, shortly after his assumption to the sovereignty, that monarch exchanged it with the abbey for some lands in Essex; and constructed a fortress of considerable size. Henry I. greatly enlarged the building, and erected a chapel, where, in 1122, he celebrated with great state his marriage with his queen, Adelais of Lorraine. Henry II. held a parliament in the Castle in 1170, which was attended by all the great English barons, William King of Scotland, and his brother David. During the contest between King John and the barons, which terminated in the grant of Magna Charta, the former took refuge in the Castle, which in the year subsequent to the signing of the treaty, was ineffectually besieged by the barons. During the reign of Henry III. the Castle was alternately in possession of both the contending factions, but being eventually surprised

* In the year 1833, the Countess Harcourt left £500. free of legacy duty, and the late John O'Reilly, Esq. gave £210. to the Windsor Royal Dispensary. In 1836, Mrs. Catherine De la Vaux gave a bequest of £1,000., 3 per cent. consols, subject to the life of her nephew and his widow, to the trustees of a certain Infirmary or public institution for the relief of the sick.