The finishing hand was put to this church by James Montague bishop of the see, who expended vast sums upon the undertaking; and who, possessing the lead mines at Mendip, Mynedep, or Mine-deep, easily roofed the church. He lies buried beneath it.

"This church," says Fuller, "is both spacious and specious; the most lightsome I ever beheld, proceeding from the greatness of the windows, and the whiteness of the glass therein." I have to add, from my own observation, that the prophecy of Cassadore, so far as it relates to the duration of the pile, appears to hold good to the present day. The whole is in good repair; and, indeed, it were to be wished that the "repaired and

SO

beautified" of some unmerciful white-and-blackand-yellow-washer, did not present itself conspicuously to every one who enters its doors. There is a disgusting fashion in Somersetshire, as well as in some parts of the country, of bedaubing churches with a harlequin-variety of white and yellow the body is washed with yellow, and the mouldings and ornaments, the pillars, capitals, and branches, of the Gothic columns, are most sacrilegiously picked out, to use the language of house painters, in white: then, to complete this tasteful arrangement, the vile monumental tablets, of which, surely, the very vilest are in Bath's abbey-church, are bordered with enormous patches of lamp-black. Some of the inscriptions however are elegant.

As Bath is the most important, and, probably, the most useful of all our watering places, particular attention is unquestionably due to it from every writer who undertakes, in however slight a way, to describe a tour of this nature. This place is known to all Europe. Its waters contain bitumen, (which predominates,) nitre, and sul

phur; but to what cause or causes their great heat is tobe attributed, has been a subject of dispute. Some have ascribed it to wind, or airy exhalations, pent in the bowels of the earth; which, by their agitation and attrition, among rocks and narrow passages, gather heat, and impart it to the waters: others have ascribed it to the heat of the sun, whose beams, passing through the pores of the earth, warm the waters; and they were, therefore, anciently called, aquæ solis, as both made by, and dedicated to, the sun. Others, again, attribute it to quick-lime, which readily heats any water upon it, and kindles any combustible substance put therein. A fourth set of persons refer it to a subterranean fire, formed in the bowels of the earth, and actually burning upon sulphur and bitumen; while others have imputed the heat, which is not destructive, but generative, joined with moisture, to the fermentation of several minerals.

Bath is in Somersetshire, one hundred and eight miles from London. It is surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills of considerable height, between which the Avon slowly and majestically winds, and is navigable for barges to Bristol. Indeed the Kennet and Avon are now nearly united by a barge navigation, when the intercourse will be amazingly shortened between the busy ports of London and Bristol, and the intermediate places.

The vale, in which Bath was originally built, being too contracted to contain the numerous splendid edifices that have been erected there within a century past, the sides of the hill towards the north have been gradually covered with houses, and its very summit is now crowned with them. This gives the city a very picturesque appearance; but it renders many of its streets steep and unpleasant for carriages as well as foot passengers.

The Baths, however, and the greatest part of the public buildings are in the low or old town, where every possible improvement is adopting to make it assimilate with the new buildings in elegance and convenience.

The necessity of ascending in every direction from Bath, except along the course of the Avon, renders excursions somewhat laborious; but Claverton, Lansdowne, and other spots in the environs, are daily resorted to for an airing by such as keep horses and carriages; and so many charms does the internal of Bath itself command, that pedestrians can scarcely wish to walk out of it as long as their money lasts.

But volumes have been written on this interesting and attractive place, and to them I must refer those who are desirous of particular information.

To conclude, having in less than four months visited the principal places that have been consecrated by fashion to bathing, or water-drinking, and made my observations on the spot, I cannot he'p expressing my wish to impress on the minds of valetudinarians, the necessity of being well advised before they plunge into the tide, or taste the mineral cup. Many would reap benefit from change of air and scene, who injure their constitutions by wantonly bathing and drinking waters. It is a misfortune and to be lamented that those who are most anxious to improve their health, generally injure it more by the very means they take to restore it. They bathe too frequently, they drink water too copiously. I speak from good authority when I say, that a few immersions to clean the skin is more likely to do good than the daily use of the bathing machine for weeks; and that mineral waters, particularly such as are purgative, should be used as gentle alteratives in order to be beneficial.

But my letter is growing absolutely medical, and has already swelled to a greater length than I expected. It will be recollected, however, that I intended to write a TOUR of HEALTH, as well as of PLEASURE, and, therefore, a few hints for the direction of valetudinarians cannot be deemed misplaced. Happy shall I be to find that they have proved in any degree useful to my countrymen, or that any contribution of mine is thought worthy a place in your volumes.

A LIST

OF ALL THE

CITIES, BOROUGHS, MARKET-TOWNS,

AND

REMARKABLE VILLAGES,

IN ENGLAND AND WALES;

The Days on which their Markets are held, and how far distant from LONDON in measured miles.

N. B. Those with this mark are Cities; those with this + are Bo roughs; and the Figures denote the miles distant from London.