Wade, in Saville-row; the earl of Granville's, Mr. Pelham's,

ter with the dove, the emblem of peace, perched on the top of a fmall Jerufalem cross, finely ornamented with table diamonds and jewels of great value. This emblem was first used by Edward the Confeffor, as appears by his feal; but the ancient scepter and dove was fold with the reft of the regalia, and this now in the Tower was made after the restoration. V. St. Edward's ftaff, four feet feven inches and a half in length, and three inches three quarters in circumference, all of beaten gold, which is carried before the king at his coronation. VI. The rich crown of state, worn by his majefly in parliament; in which is a large emerald feven inches round; a pearl efteemed the fineft in the world, and a ruby of ineftimable value. VII. The crown belonging to his royal highnefs the prince of Wales. The king wears his crown on his head while he fits upon the throne; but that of the prince of Wales is placed before him, to fhew that he is not yet come to it. VIII. The late queen Mary's crown, globe and scepter, with the diadem fhe wore at her coronation with her confort king William III. IX. An ivory fcepter, with a dove on the top, made for king James II's queen, whofe garniture is gold, and the dove on the top gold, enamelled with white. X. The curtana, or fword of mercy, which has a blade 32 inches long, and near two broad, is without a point, and is borne naked before the king at his coronation, between the two swords of juftice, fpiritual and temporal. XI. The golden fpurs, and the armillas, which are bracelets for the writs. Thefe, though very antique, are worn at the coronation. XII. The ampulla, or eagle of gold, finely engraved, which holds the holy oil the kings and queens of England are anointed with; and the golden fpoon that the bishop pours the oil into. Thefe are two pieces of great antiquity. The golden eagle, including the pedeftal, is about nine inches high, and the wings expand about feven inches. The whole weighs about 10 ounces. The head of the eagle fcrews off about the middle of the neck, which is made hollow, for holding the holy oil; and when the king is anointed by the bishop, the oil is poured into the fpoon out of the bird's bill XII. A rich falt-feller of ftate, in form like the fquare White Tower, and fo exquifitely wrought, that the workmanship of modern times is in no degree equal to it. It is of gold, and ufed only on the king's table at the coronation. XIV. A noble filver font, double gilt, and elegantly wrought, in which the royal family are christened. XV. A large filver fountain, prefented to king Charles II. by the town of Plymouth, very curioufly wrought; but much inferior in beauty to the above. Befide thefe, which are commonly fhewn, there are in the jewel office, all the crown jewels worn by the prince and princefies at Coronations, and a great variety of curious old plate.

The

ham's, the duke of Bedford's, and Montague-house *, in Bloomsbury; with a great number of others of the

The Record Office confifts of three rooms, one above another, and a large round room, where the rolls are kept. These are all handfomely wainscoted, the wainscot being framed into prefes round each room, within which are fhelves, and repofitories for the records; and for the easier finding of them, the year of each reign is infcribed on the infide of thefe preffes, and the records placed accordingly. Within thefe preffes, which amount to 56 in number, are depofited all the rolls, from the first year of the reign of king John, to the beginning of the reign of Kichard III. but thofe after this laft period are kept in the rolls chapel. The records in the Tower, among other things, contain, the foundation of abbies, and other religious houfes; the ancient tenures of all the lands in England, with a furvey of the manors; the original of laws and ftatutes; proceedings of the courts of common law and equity; the rights of England to the dominion of the British feas; leagues and treaties with foreign princes; the atchievements of England in foreign wars; the fettlement of reland, as to law and dominion; the forms of fubmiffion of fome Scottish kings; ancient grants of our kings to their fubjects; privileges and immunities granted to cities and corporations during the period above-mentioned; enrollments of charters and deeds made before the conqueft; the bounds of all the forests. in England, with the feveral refpective rights of the inhabitants to common of pafture, and many other important records, all regularly difpofed, and referred to in near a thousand folio indexes. This office is kept open, and attendance conftantly given, from seven o'clock till one, except in the months of December, January and February, when it is open only from eight to one, Sundays and holidays excepted. A fearch here is half a guinea, for which you may perufe any one fubject a year.

The British Museum is depofited in Montague-house. Sir Hans Sloane, bart. (who died in 1753) may not improperly be accounted the founder of the British Mufeum: for its being eftablished by parliament, was only in confequence of his leaving by will his noble collection of natural history, his large library, and his numerous curiofities, which coft him 50,000 1. to the ufe of the public on condition that the parliament would pay 20,000 1. to his executors. To this collection were added the Cottonian library, the Harleian manufcripts, and a collection of books given by the late major Edwards. His late majefty, in confideration of its great ufefulness, was graciously pleafed to add thereto, the royal libraries of books and manufcripts collected b the feveral kings of England.

The Sloanian collection, confifts of an amazing number of curiofities; among which are, the library, including books of VOL. VII.

H

drawings,

the nobility and gentry; but thefe would be fufficient to fill a large volume.

London is the center of trade, it has an intimate connection with all the countries in the kingdom; it is the grand mart of the nation, to which every part fend their commodities, from whence they again are fent back into every town in the nation, and to every part in the world. From hence innumerable carriages, by land and water, are conftantly employed, and from hence arifes that circulation in the national body, which renders every part healthful, vigorous, and in a profperous condition; a circulation that is equally beneficial to the head, and the moft diftant members. Merchants are here as rich as noblemen; and there is no place in the world in which the shops of tradefien make fuch a noble and elegant appearance.

No expence has been fpared to give this city all the effential advantages that could be procured by art and induftry. And in particular, no place in the world is better fupplied with water from the Thames and the New River; which is not only of inconceivable service to every family, but, by means of fireplugs every where difperfed, the keys of which are drawings, manufcripts and prints, amounting to about 50,000 volumes. Medals and coins, ancient and modern, 23,000. Ca meos and intaglios, about 700. Seals, 268. Veffels, &c. of agate, jafper, &c. 542. Antiquities, 1,125. Precious stones, agates, jafpers, &c. 2,256. Metals, minerals, ores, &c. 2,725. Crystals, fpars, &c. 1,864. Foffils, flints, ftones, 1,275. Earths, fands, falts, 1,035. Bitumens, fulphurs, ambers, &c. 399. Talcs, micæ, &c. 388. Corals, fpunges, &c. 1,421. Teftacea, or fhells, &c. 5,845. Echini, echinitæ, &c. 659. Afte riæ, trochi, entrochi, &c. 241. Cruftacea, crabs, lobsters, &c. 363. Stellæ marinæ, flar-fifhes, &c. 173. Fish and their parts, &c. 1,555. Lirds and their parts, eggs and nefts, of different fpecies, 1,172. Quadrupeds, &c. 1, 86. Vipers, ferpents, &c. 521. Infects, &c. 5,439. Vegetables, 12,506. Hortus ficcus, or volumes of dried plants, 334. Humana, as calculi, anatomical preparations, 756. Mifcellaneous things, natural, 2,098. Mathematical inftruments, 55. A catalogue of all the above is written in 38 volumes in folio, and 8 in quario.

depofited