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from a picture painted by Samuel Scott, of whom Walpole says, 'if he were but second to Vandevelde in seapieces, he excelled him in variety, and often introduced buildings in his pictures with consummate skill. His views of London Bridge, of the Quay at the CustomHouse, &c. were equal to his Marines.' He died October the 12th, 1772; vide the 'Anecdotes of Painting,' p. 445. This view is also noticed by Gough in his 'British Topography,' vol. i., p. 735: and Mr. J. T. Smith, in his 'Ancient Topography,' p. 25, observes, that it was in the possession of Edward Roberts, Esq., Clerk of the Pells, who probably still retains it. It was exhibited, says the author of 'Wine and Walnuts,' vol. i., p. 65, in 1817, at the British Institution; and of the excellent engraving from it there are two editions: the earliest and best is marked, Published according to Act of Parliament, Feb. 25, 1761:' and the latter may be known by the imprint of 'Printed for Bowles and Carver, R. H. Laurie, and R. Wilkinson.' This plate has been more than once copied in a reduced form; but the best, engraved by Warren, appeared in that Work by Dr. Pugh, known by the name of 'Hughson's History of London.' London, 1806-9, 8vo, vol. ii., p. 316. Another view of London Bridge with the houses, of considerably less merit, but rather more rarity, was 'Printed and sold for John Bowles, Print and Map-seller, over against StocksMarket, 1724.' It consists of a small square plate, and shows the houses on the Western side of the edifice in bad perspective, with a short historical account beneath it; and it forms plate y of a folio volume entitled, 'Several Prospects of the most noted Buildings in and about the City of London.' There are also some rather large representations of this Bridge, in most of the old two and three-sheet views of London; as in those published by Bowles' at the Black Horse in Cornhill,' about 1732, &c.; and in the series of prints usually_called Boydell's Perspectives,' is a folio half-sheet plate very

much resembling Scott's, entitled 'A view of London Bridge taken near St. Olave's Stairs. Published according to Act of Parliament by J. Boydell, Engraver, at the Globe, near Durham Yard, in the Strand. 1731. Price 18. J. Boydell, delin. et sculp.' I could mention several others, as in the Title-page to the old London Magazine;' in Strype's edition of Stow; in Maitland; Motley's 'Seymour's Survey;' in Hughson, Lambert, and numerous other works; but for fidelity of feature, and excellence of effect, none of them are in any respect equal to that of Scott, representing LONDON BRIDGE BEFORE THE ALTERATION OF 1758 (see engraving at back).

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"As at this period the public attention was generally directed towards this edifice, the proprietors of Maitland's History of London,' which was then appearing in numbers, issued an Advertisement, in the 'Public Advertiser' of Saturday, April the 6th, 1754, stating, that 'Number xv. will be illustrated with two fine Prospects of London Bridge as it may be altered agreeable to drawings presented to Sir Richard Hoare, by Charles Labelye, Esq.; and humbly inscribed to the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-Council, who now have the state of that Bridge under consideration.-Not one of this Number will be delivered to any but Subscribers, and such as have bought, or shall buy, the former Numbers.' Like Strype's edition of Stow, this work was published at 6d. each Number.

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"On Thursday, September the 26th, 1754, the Bridge Committee presented their Report to the Court of Common-Council, an original verbatim copy of which is in the xxviii.th vol. of London Tracts,' in the British Museum, small fol. This Report stated, that the piles, &c. of old London Bridge having been surveyed by Mr. George Dance, then Clerk of the Works to the City, the foundations were declared good, and, with common repairs, likely to last for ages. That the houses on the Bridge being a public inconvenience, it was recommended

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that they should be removed, from St. Magnus' Church to the City Gate, on the East; and from the corner of Thames Street to the Bear Tavern in the Borough, on the West. That Mr. Dance had produced a plan for an alteration of the Bridge, with estimates amounting to 30,0007., in which were a carriage road of 33 feet, with two foot-paths of 6 feet each; but that such expense might be reduced to 27,000l., by leaving the houses standing on the South side of the Gate. That the annual rents of the houses to be taken down amounted to about 8281. 6s., which would be lost to the BridgeHouse estates; whilst the Parishes of St. Magnus and St. Olave would also lose in taxes, rents, and tithes, about the yearly sum of 4841. 19s. 10d.; and that the estimate of the houses then out upon lease, with others which must be bought, came to 8940/. 11s. 7d. ; besides other satisfaction which might be required by the undertenants.

"The substance of Labelye's plan for altering this edifice, is given in Maitland's History,' vol. ii., pp. 826-832, together with the result of several other reports made in 1746. His chief objection to old London Bridge was to the sterlings surrounding the piers; which, occupying almost one-fourth part in five of the waterway, caused a fall of nearly five feet perpendicular, during the greater part of every tide, thus rendering the passage of vessels through the locks equally difficult and dangerous. He consequently proposed casing the piers, with four feet of Portland Stone, and to lessen the sterlings so as always to have about 400 feet of water-way, which, being twice as much as the Bridge originally possessed, would reduce the fall to about 15 inches. The expense of this plan, he conceived, would be about 20001. for each pier; two or three of which could be altered in a year, without stopping the passage either over or under the Bridge. He also proposed to adopt the idea of Sir Christopher Wren, in new-modelling the

[A. D. appearance of the building itself, by taking away eleven piers, and forming nine broad-pointed Gothic arches, springing from the lowest low-water mark: these were to be of different dimensions, and the fifth from the South end was to be 90 feet in span. The parapet was to be ornamented with Gothic crocketed recesses surmounting the piers; by a cast-iron balustrade; or by a dwarf-wall, or even houses; and, according to this plan, there would have been a water-way of 540 feet, and a fall of not more than 9 inches; whilst the amount of time and expense would not be considerably greater than in the former.

"The Reports of Mr. George Dance, Clerk of the City Works, and Bartholomew Sparruck, the Water Carpenter of London Bridge, in answer to the questions of the Committee, in 1746, also furnish several very curious and interesting particulars concerning the build ing at that period, and the original is to be found "at length in Maitland's History,' already cited; and in Nos. II. and III. of Dr. Charles Hutton's Tracts on Mathematical and Philosophical Subjects,' London, 1812, vol. i., pp. 115-122. The Report commences with a table of the depth of water, above, immediately under, and below every arch, beginning at the South end of the Bridge, which is to the following effect :

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West Side. Under the Arch. East Side.