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A range of Ionic columns above this supports a pediment. Near the Treasury is the house usually appointed or the residence of the prime minister. A passage to the public street before Whitehall, under the Cockpit, is esteemed a part of the ancient palace. A little northward from this entrance was the beautiful gate belonging to this palace, built by order of Henry the Eighth, from a design of Hans Holbein, enclosing the Tilt Yard, &c.

Whitehall, originally built by Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, in the reign of Henry the Third, was, at his death, bequeathed by him to the Black Friars of London; from them coming to Walter De Grey, Archbishop of York, it became the town-residence of the archbishops of that see; till passing from the haughty Thomas Wolsey, the Cardinal, it came into the hands of the crown, and was formed into one of the royal palaces.

The old palace occupied a space along the northern bank of the river, a little below Westminster Bridge, and extended to St. James's Park, along the eastern end of which many of its various buildings lay, from the Cockpit to Spring Gardens. At present, that part of it which was along the river is occupied by the houses of the Earl of Liverpool, the Duke of Buccleugh, and others. The ancient building, which contained upwards of 1000 apartments, was mostly consumed by a fire, which broke out in the year 1697.

The Banqueting-House, now remaining, derived its name from an old building, which, in the time of Elizabeth, served for public entertainments. This edifice was built by James the First, and is the work of Inigo Jones, in his best manner. It was part only of a vast and magnificent plan, left unexecuted by reason of the troubles which followed. It is a stone edifice of two stories, ornamented with columns and pilasters, with their entablatures; and has an air of grandeur and sweetness, the united effect of which is extremely fine. The great room of this edifice has

been converted into a chapel, in which service is performed in the morning and evening of every Sunday; George the First having granted a salary of thirty pounds per annum to twelve clergymen, selected equally from Oxford and Cambridge, who officiate each one month in the year. It is much attended by persons of quality. The ceiling of this room was painted by Rubens. The subject is the Apotheosis of James the First, which is treated in nine compartments; and Vandyke was to have painted the sides with the history of the Order of the Garter. The ceiling was very ably re-touched, a few years since, by Cipriani. The Banqueting-House cost 17,000l.; the painting of the ceiling 30001.; and Cipriani had 20007. for re-touching it. In the court behind the Banqueting-House is a statue, in brass, of James the Second, by Grinlin Gibbons. It is a fine performance, possessing grace and dignity in a superior degree. In front of the BanquetingHouse, on a scaffold, Charles the First was beheaded, on the 30th of January, 1648-9. His Majesty passed from the Banqueting-House to the scaffold through one of the windows.

In Whitehall-Chapel have been deposited the eagles, colours, and other trophies obtained from the French during the late revolutionary war. This took place, with great ceremony, on the 18th of May, 1811; and in January 1816, the eagles taken at the battle of Waterloo were placed here.

It is to be observed, that as Whitehall used to be considered the principal palace, and the rest only appendages to it, it still maintains its ancient imaginary consequence; the great offices of state are kept in the detached edifices, and all public business is dated from Whitehall.

Before we quit this place, we should notice the brazen statue of James the Second, by Grinlin Gibbons; the attitude is fine, the manner free and easy, the execution finished and perfect; and the expression of the face is

inimitable, as it depicts the very soul of the unhappy monarch whom it is intended to commemorate. Among other improvements near the spot, the wall formerly extending along Parliament-Street has been taken down, and an iron railing, with shrubberies, erected before the several houses, which gives the whole an airy and lively appearance.

Advancing southward through Parliament-Street, an avenue which has been made since the construction of Westminster-Bridge, we arrive at Cannon-Row, formerly called St. Stephen's Alley, from its being the residence of the Dean and Canons of St. Stephen's collegiate chapel. Upon the dissolution of the college by Henry the Eighth, the site was occupied by several of the nobility and gentry, who built houses and laid out gardens towards the river. Derby-House stood upon what was afterwards called Derby-Court. Opposite to this Henry Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, had a handsome house, as had also the Sackville family, Earls of Dorset, whose name is still preserved in Dorset-Square. The Earl of Manchester's house was in what is now called Manchester Buildings, adjoining to which is Bridge Court, and Bridge-Street. Cannon-Row now contains the New Transport Office. This building is upon a solid commodious plan; both fronts are faced with stone, and are simply elegant; and the interior is well calculated for the management of an extensive public business.

Westminster-Bridge is a structure of that simplicity and grandeur, that, whether viewed from the water, or by the land-passenger, it fills the mind with admiration. The twenty-eight semi-octangular towers forming the recesses in the footway, the manner in which the lamps are placed, and the height of the balustrades, are at once judiciously and beautifully contrived. This bridge is regarded by architects as one of the most beautiful in the world. It was begun in the year 1738, and finished in 1750, and cost 389,5007. The whole of the super