was a square building with two court yards in the middle, and two spacious entrances for carriages, one from Basinghall street, and the other opposite to it, from Guildhall, which was the principal front, having the door-case tastefully decorated with two columns of the Doric order, with their entablature, and a pediment in which were the king's arms, and a little lower the city arms adorned with Cupids and other carved ornaments. There was also an entrance on the west side from Cateaton street.

In these buildings were various rooms or warehouses, denominated the Devonshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Kentish, Medley, Spanish, and Blanket halls, in which each piece of woollen cloth paid one penny for pitching, and one half-penny per week for resting; the profits of which were applied towards the support of Christ's Hospital, the governors whereof had the entire management of the warehouses. This market has been justly named the

greatest woollen cloth market in the world, and therefore has been always of great consideration with the corporation, whose care has been to keep it under the best adapted regulations and control. It was ordained in the 21st year of Richard II. on the institution of the establishment, that "no manner of person should sell any woollen cloths, except they were first brought, harboured, and discharged at the common market of Blackwell Hall, upon pain of forfeiture thereof." This ordinance was confirmed by an act of common council, held 1st August, 8th Henry VIII. `with this addition, that no manner of person, being a freeman of this city, suffer any manner of person whatsoever, be he free or foreign, to buy or sell any manner of woollen cloths, harboured or lodged contrary to the said ordinance, within his shop, chamber, or other place within his house, unless the said cloths were first brought to Blackwell Hall, and then bought and sold, under the penalty of six shillings and eight pence for every broad cloth, three shillings and fourpence for every kersey, and twenty pence for every dessein of Bridgewater, and other pieces of cloth; double those penalties for a second offence, and disfranchisement for a third." Various other enactments, tending to secure and increase these privileges, were passed in the reigns of Mary, Elizabeth, William III., and George I.

It will be perceived, that these regulations were not made to the exclusion of, or additional tax upon, foreign settlers, the encouragement of whom, however obnoxious to the citizens individually, yet was pregnant with so much benefit to the nation at large, that the legislators of the country have uniformly opposed such prejudices, and patronised and invited the ingenious and oppressed of all nations to place themselves under the protection of the British throne; and these measures, resulting from the admirable policy of our Edwards, Elizabeths, our Cranmers, and our Burghleys, have tended to elevate Great Britain to the perfection which her manufactures and foreign trade have attained for her.

The earliest foreign company was a body of German merchants, who settled here in the time of Canute, and they paid for the protection they found, specimens of the commodities they imported, amongst which were two pieces of grey cloth, and one of brown, presented annually. The first of our monarchs who made a law for

the protection of foreigners was Edward I., which ordained that the merchants of Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Flanders, and of all other foreign parts, might safely come with their merchandise into the king's towns, cities, and ports, and sell the same; and also carry beyond sea the goods they might want in England, paying the usual customs. That justice might be done to all foreign merchants, and to ensure this, it was also decreed, that in any trial between them and Englishmen, the jury should consist of one half foreigners, and the other half natives." Edward merely

exacted a small additional duty on imports and exports, when made by foreigners, in order to give a preferable encouragement to native shipping

Edward III. confirmed this, and prevailed with a great number of Flemish cloth workers to come over and settle in England; who pursued the art with so much success, that in a few years the looms in the country were equal to the manufacture of the whole of the wool it produced. A law was passed, interdicting the export of English wool, and prohibiting the import of woollen cloths. We must admire the profound sagacity of this enlightened prince, who foresaw all the advantages derivable from the skill of foreigners, and who had the proud satisfaction of seeing the success of his measures, by which a manufacture was established and confirmed, which has since rivalled that of every other nation, and become the staple produce of the country. An attempt was made by the citizens in the reign, of Richard II., on the establishment of the Blackwell Hall, to put an end to foreign rivalry, but the act passed was not enforced, and Henry VII. contented himself with passing an enactment to prevent the evasion of the statute of Edward 1., which imposed additional duties on foreigners; and when in 1493 the mob plundered the warehouses of certain merchants of the Hanse Towns in Thames-street, he punished the ringleaders with severity, and several atoned their offences with their lives. Many other disturbances occurred at subsequent periods, raised by the jealousies of the native artisans, and particularly the riot of the apprentices, who were a formidable body, on the night of April 30, 1517, which gave the title of "Evil May-day" to the following morning, and led for a long time to the suspension of the festivities usually observed on May-day. In 1526-27, the

citizens again attempted to prohibit foreigners by acts of commoncouncil, but these measures were checked by government.

In the reign of Edward VI. the protector Somerset and archbishop Cranmer procured an act of parliament, authorising foreigners to follow their occupations in the cities and boroughs of England, and entitling them to the free exercise of their religion. Many persons, persecuted on account of their religious faith, sought refuge in England, and settling in London, Norwich, Canterbury, and elsewhere, introduced many woollen, silk, and other profitable manufactures. During the reign of Elizabeth, the number of foreigners greatly increased, and although sir Walter Raleigh supported a measure in parliament, which would have tended to their exclusion, (vigorously and ably answered by sir Robert Cecil,) which passed the Commons with a considerable majority; yet parliament being shortly afterwards dissolved, it was not put in force, and no subsequent attempt has been made to clip the wings of protection which the law affords to strangers in England, and the citizens of London are now proverbial throughout the world for their liberality to foreigners of all countries, whether led to them by enterprise, or driven by intolerance and persecution.

This notice of the introduction of woollen manufactures into this country, naturally leads us to a partial consideration of the early costume of the citizens of London, a subject which has employed the attention of every age as it has passed; and it seems to have been the study of each generation to contrive that system of dress which should differ as materially as possible from the mode that preceded it, or which should embrace as speedily as possible any new material that was introduced or invented.

Our Saxon ancestors were clothed with garments of woollen cloth externally, and linen beneath. The Normans introduced finery and silk attire, which was imported from Spain and Sicily. The Norman dress was a short tunic reaching to the leg, and ornamented, when worn by the nobility. The long tunic was only worn by the king and nobles. The surtout was without sleeves, and equal in length to the tunic, though generally of a different colour, and probably the winter garment. The gown was like the tunic, but larger, with long sleeves, in which the wearer might wrap his

arms at pleasure. The official robe of the lord mayor of London is a specimen of this Norman gown. The mantle was sometimes hooded, and lined with rich furs. These garments were made of cloth for the middle and lower classes, and of silk, linen, or the very finest cloths, for the Norman monarchs, and principal nobility. The ladies wore the tunic or under garment embroidered, over which were the gown with long trains, bound with a girdle at the waist. Various alterations in the fashions of these garments occurred at subsequent periods, but woollen cloths were the principal articles

worn.

Chaucer speaks of the "horible disordinate scantiness of clothing, such as the cut sloppes and hanselynes" which were made to fit so tight as to appear indecent, after the loose dresses that had been previously worn; their hose were parti-coloured, and divided in the middle, so that each thigh was of a different colour, and "the hinder parts were horrible to be seen," says the scandalized poet. To complete a portrait, which except in the expense of material is somewhat like the dress worn by convicts in our dock yards and penitentiaries, the jackets were without lappets and parti-coloured. "The outrageous array of the women," was also a matter of high displeasure to our friend Geoffry.

In fact, to so high a pitch was the fantastic, extravagant manner of dressing carried, that an act of parliament was passed, limiting the expense of attire of the "merchants, citizens, burgesses, artificers, and tradesmen of London, their wives and children," to a certain specified sum. In the reign of Richard II. dresses were more preposterously worn than before, and amongst other ridiculous fashions, was that of wearing their shoes with long points, or snouts, crooking upwards, and fastened to the knees with chains of gold and silver. Richard's consort, queen Anne, introduced trains and side saddles for ladies; the former of so great a length, that a tract was written against them, entitled "Contra caudas dominarum,"-" Against the tails of the ladies."

Stow tells us, that in 1432 Henry VI. having been crowned king of France, returned to Eltham palace, where he was met by the lord mayor, sir John de Welles, the aldermen, and commonalty. The lord mayor was robed in crimson velvet, a great furred velvet hat, a girdle of gold about his middle, and a