Exchange. This house was the place where the professors had their apartments, and where the lectures were to be read; they were begun in 1597, but for many years the professorships have been sinecures*.

Gresham College having been pulled down, the Excise Office, a building of magnificent simplicity, has risen in its place. The payments into this office amount to several millions annually.

Crosbie-house stood on the opposite side of Bishopsgate-street, and was another magnificent structure built by Sir John Crosbie, sheriff in 1470, on ground leased to him by Alice Ashfield, Prioress of St. Helen's. The hall, miscalled Richard IIId's chapel, is still very entire; a beautiful Gothic building, with a bow window on one side; the roof is timber, and much to be admired. The site of this house is still known by the name of Crosbie

square.

The house of that great merchant, Sir Paul Pindar, stands in this street, and is easily known by the bow, and vast extent of windows along the front. Sir Paul was early distinguished by his knowledge of various languages. He was put an apprentice to an Italian master, travelled, much, and was appointed by James I. ambassador to the Grand Seignor, in which office he gained great credit, by extending the English commerce in the Turkish dominions. He brought home a diamond valued at 30,000l. the king wished to buy it on credit, but this the wary merchant boldly declined: but favoured his majesty with the loan on gala days. His unfortunate son became the purchaser. Sir Paul was appointed farmer of the customs by James, and frequently supplied that monarch's wants, as

* The professors might advantageously be employed in the London Institution.

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well as those of his successor. He was esteemed, in the year 1639, to be worth 236,000l. exclusive of bad debts. His charities were immensely great; but he was ruined by his connexions with his unfortunate monarch; and, such are the tremendous transitions of fortune! underwent imprisonment for debt. Charles, it is said, owed him, and the rest of the old commissioners of the customs, 300,000l. for the security of which, in 1649, they offered the Parliament 100,000l. but the proposal was rejected. Sir Paul died August 22, 1650, aged 84; leaving his affairs in such a perplexed state, that his executor, William Toomes, unable to bear the disappointment, destroyed himself, and deservedly underwent the ignominy of the almost obsolete verdict of Felo de se. Sir Paul lies interred in Bishopsgate church, and his house is now the public house which goes by his name.

Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, and a canonized saint, had, a little to the east of Crosbie-square, a church dedicated to her memory in early times. In 1210, a priory of Benedictine Nuns was founded by a goldsmith, William Fitz-william, dedicated to the Holy Cross, and its inventress Helena, piissima et venerabilis Augusta. Its revenues, according to Dugdale, were 3147. 2s. 6d. Henry granted the site to Mr. Richard Cromwel, alias Williams; and on the Nuns' Hall was built the Leathersellers' Hall. This company was incorporated in the reign of Richard II.

North-east of Threadneedle-street, stands the ancient church, known by the name of St. Helen's the Great; in it are numbers of curious tombs, which fortunately escaped the ravages of the great fire. Amongst others is a magnificent tomb of Sir William Pickering, who died in London, aged 58, in 1574. He had served four princes: Henry VIII. in the field; Edward VI. as ambassador to

France; Queen Mary in Germany; and finally, Queen Elizabeth. "Elizabeth (says his epitaph), Principi omnium illustrissimæ summis officiis devotissimus." He is said to have aspired at the possession of her person.

Lombard-street is the third street which branches from the Poultry, and took its name from the Lombards, the great money-changers and usurers of early times. They came out of Italy into this kingdom before 1274; at length their extortions became so great, that Edward III. seized on their estates; but they seem quickly to have repaired their loss; for complaint was soon after made against them, for persisting in their practices. They were so opulent in the days of Henry VI. as to be able to furnish him with money, but they took care to get a mortgage of the customs by way of security. In this street they continued till the reign of Elizabeth, and many great bankers yet reside in it.

The shop of the great Sir Thomas Gresham stood in this street; it is now held by Messrs. Martin, bankers, who are still in possession of the Grasshopper, the original sign of that illustrious person.

The Post Office, which gives wings to commerce, stands in Lombard-street. The office of chief Post Master was erected in 1551, but we are not told how this branch of business was managed; however, it was not regularly established till the year 1644.

The privilege of franking was first claimed by the Commons in 1660, and allowed to both Houses by the Crown in the following year. The abuse must have been very great, it being asserted that, in 1763, the loss by that privilege amounted to 170.7007. At this time it is rather honorary than advantageous to members.

The carriage of the mails is now greatly facilitated by Mr. Palmer's excellent plan of the mail

.

coaches, which also adds greatly to the safety as well as the expedition of this important concern. On the site of the present office, before the great fire, stood a much frequented tavern. When it was destroyed by that calamity, the convivial Sir Robert Viner replaced it with a large house for his own habitation. Sir Robert, during his mayoralty, in 1675, was honoured with the presence of Charles II. His Majesty was for retiring, after staying the usual time; but Sir Robert, filled with good liquor and loyalty, laid hold of the King and swore"Sir, you shall take t'other bottle." The airy Monarch looked kindly at him over the shoulder, and with a smile and graceful air, repeated this line of the old song:

"He that's drunk is as great as a king."

And immediately turned back, and complied with his landlord.

In Fenchurch-street, a continuation of the former, stood Denmark-house. In it was lodged the ambassador sent, in 1557, as Holinshed expresses it, from the Emperor of Cathaie, Muscovia, and Russeland. This was in consequence of the new discovery of the White Sea by Chancellor : for, till that time, Russia was quite impervious by any other way. Our Russian Company was formed three years previous to the arrival of this ambassador, but its commerce was carried on with redoubled success, after the Russians were thus made acquainted with our wealth and power.

The Hudson's Bay House, in this street, is the vast repository of the Northern furs of America, which are lodged here till they are sold, and exported to various parts of the world, even to China. In this hall is a vast pair of horns of the moose deer, weighing fifty-six pounds; and in another room, the picture of an Elk, the european morse,

killed in the presence of Charles XI. of Sweden, which weighed 1229lb.

Having thus given a brief survey of London, we shall conclude with an account of the Thames, to which it is so much indebted.

The River Thames rises beneath Sapperton Hill, just within the borders of Gloucestershire, a little to the south-west of Cirencester; instantly quitting this spot, it enters, for a short space, into Wiltshire, and re-enters its parent province near Lechlade, 138 miles from London, where it first becomes navigable, by means of locks, for barges of about 70 tons. Here it leaves Gloucestershire, and forms the whole Southern boundary of Oxfordshire, or the northern of Berksire, and from thence is the southern limit of Buckinghamshire, At Great Marlow is the last lock. It divides Middlesex from Surry at a small distance from Windsor, and feels the last efforts of a'tide just above Kingston; from thence is a most important increase in depth. A little way below London-bridge, eighteen feet; and twenty at Deptford. The first brings ships of 250 tons, drawing 16 feet water, to the custom-house; the last, those of a thousand tons and upwards, drawing 23 feet, which waft the treasures of India, The Thames continues fresh at Woolwich, and even there is brackish only at spring tides. At the city

it is perfectly pure and salubrious.

Our

Its whole course is much about 200 miles. author indeed contracts its length very considerably, in comparison of the usual estimation, for he limits its mouth to the spot between the west end of the isle of Grain, in Kent, and the eastern part of that of Canvey, in Essex. From those places to the Naze in the latter country, and the North Foreland in Kent (which have hitherto been considered as its entrance) it ceases to flow in a single channel; it becomes a vast estuary, filled with