the first founder, delivering his royal charter to the mayor, who kneels with the aldermen behind him, bishop Ridley and many others standing near the throne. Here were also portraits of Charles II. queen Anne, and several friends and promoters of the charity.

In 1822 a new infirmary was completed, and the old hall being pulled down, in Oct. 1824, the first stone of the New Hall was laid by his royal highness the late duke of York. It was completed in 1829, and is a noble structure of the Tudor style of architecture, a copy, with some variations, of the Great Hall at Hampton Court. It is 182 feet long by 50 wide, forming a noble cloister underneath.

There are twelve wards, where the children are lodged, and another large and convenient ward apart by itself for sick: it consists of a room for lodging, a kitchen, a consultation chamber, and other convenient places, with a properly qualified nurse.

Of the ancient buildings remaining, there is an old cloister of the Grey Friars, part of the ancient priory, which serves for a thoroughfare, and a place of recreation for the boys, especially in rainy weather: it was repaired by the direction of sir Christopher Wren, knt.

The grammar school is a very commodious building, well adapted to its purpose. In the upper school is a portrait of John Smith, esq. a great promoter of the building.

The writing-school is a very fair structure, at the end of the great hall, airy and lofty; it was founded by sir John Moor, knt. one of the city aldermen, and president of this house. It contains long writing boards, sufficient for the accommodation of 300 boys, and is said to have cost the founder £5000. His statue, in white marble at full length, is placed in the front of the building.

It is supported by columns, and the space beneath is allotted for the boys to play and exercise in.

The governors are usually composed of 300 gentlemen of great property, or persons from whom there are great benefactions to the charity expected. The president is generally an alderman who has passed the chair.

The treasurer has the care of the affairs of the whole house, and of the revenues, and therefore is commonly resident on the spot. He is allowed a good dwelling-house, but receives no salary.

Each governor, upon entering this institution, has a charge solemnly given him, in the presence of the president, or treasurer, and other governors assembled in court.

Besides the chief governors, there are subordinate officers, who receive salaries: four clerks, a steward, and a matron; for every ward a nurse and her maid; a porter, and four beadles. They also employ three servants, called street-men, who see to the wellgovernment of the carts of London. The foundation also maintains clerks for Blackwell-Hall; whence are certain duties coming to the house.

With respect to the charge of providing the necessary supplies for this great family, two of the governors, called almoners, take care to buy and send in butcher's meat, &c. the steward attending them.

The food for the children, which was originally of a very homely nature, is now the best of its kind: it consists principally of bread and cheese, or butter for those who cannot eat cheese; rice milk, boiled mutton and broth, boiled beef and pottage, roast mutton, &c.; to which, on particular days, the liberality of various benefactors has added the occasional indulgence of roast beef and pork.

To support its enormous expences, the hospital has a great annual revenue in houses and lands, the benefit of licensing and looking after the 420 carts allowed by the city, each of which pays a certain sum for sealing; and the duty of about three farthings upon every piece of cloth brought to Blackwell Hall. The expenditure of these various members of this vast establishment must be immense; it has been stated to be, for clothing, victualling, and contingencies, as much as £30,000 per annum.

This hospital also provides for a considerable number of younger children at Hertford, at which place there is a school-master regularly paid for teaching these children to read. At Hertford the girls are also brought up, consistent with the regulations of the charity.

The support of this hospital is principally dependant upon benefactions and bequests, as that of its income which is permanent, is far short of maintaining the usual number of 1200 children, whose education fits them either for the church, the navy, or every station in life, according to their abilities; and as their attention is constantly directed to the purest principles of religion, as well as the due observance of the order of civil society, it is confidently hoped and anticipated that all charitably disposed and worthy Christians, who wish well to the rising generation, will readily co-operate in a work so replete not only with local, but with national benefit.

The governors of Christ's hospital have been made trustees to several other extensive charities by the founders. Among others is one of £10 per annum each to 400 blind persons, a bequest of the Rev. Wm. Hetherington in 1774. But as these funds have been confounded by some, with those for the particular uses of the hospital, this explanation may not be thought amiss: they are separate and individual concerns, except that, for their tried integrity in other instances, the governors have been appointed guardians of those lesser charities.

A passage from under the writing school, through the cloisters, leads to St. Bartholomew's Hospital.

This hospital is one of those termed Royal, from having been founded or endowed by English sovereigns; and may claim, as a benevolent institution, an antiquity of more than seven centuries; it having been originally founded by Raherus, in 1102, who is said to have been a minstrel to Henry I., and established a priory of black canons near it. The endowment of this hospital, which was for "brethren and sisters, sick persons, and pregnant women," was £305, and it received several additional bequests previous to the time of that great destroyer of religious edifices, Henry VIII.; who, while he suppressed the monastery, preserved the hospital, and bestowed 500 marks yearly on it, upon condition that the city should give an equal sum. It was a death-bed bequest on the part of Henry, and not a very sincere one, the property on which the payment of the 500 marks was secured, being in a very ruinous No. 44.-VOL. II.

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