THE Lady's Magazine; For JANUARY, 1796. DESCRIPTION of WINDSOR-CAS- | ham, then the court architect, af TLE. (With a View elegantly engraved.) INDSOR-Caftle was firft WIN built by William the Con queror, who was delighted with its convenient fituation for hunting. Henry I. fortified it, and, in the tenth year of his reign, kept Whitfuntide here, having fummoned all the nobility of the realm to attend him. In the reign of Richard I. this was reckoned one of the strongeft caftles in the kingdom, next to the tower of London. Queen Eleanor wife to king Edward I. had four children born here; and king Edward III. furnamed Edward of Windsor, because he was born here, enlarged and beautified the palace at a vast expense, employing workmen from the 34th to the 43d year of his reign. He built the palace royal and chapel, the tower in the middle, the houses for the dean and canons, with all the walls, towers, and gates, and added ditches, ramparts and feveral other places of ftrength; and in it the kings of France and Scotland were both at one time his prisoners. It is about a mile in compafs; and the work was carried on by William of Wick terwards bishop of Winchester, who caufed thefe words: "This made Wickham," to be cut in ftone in the. inner wall of the little tower. This fomewhat offended his majefty, who thought his architect by this infcription arrogated to himself the whole honour of the building: but Wickham pacified him by declaring that all he meant was the money and reputation he had gained in building that caftle. Henry VII. added the fine buildings adjoining to the king's lodge; Henry VIII. the great gate that opens to the outer court; Edward VI. and Queen Mary I. a curious fountain in the inner court, into which they brought water from Blackmore Park that ferved the whole caftle. Queen Elizabeth added the whole terrace faced with free-ftone ramparts; a fumptuous work, covered with a fine gravel, and fo contrived with cavities and drains that it will become almost immediately dry, after the heaviest flowers. It is fo fpacious, efpecially on the North Side, that none of the palaces in France or Italy have any thing like it. The terrace belonging to the grand fignior's feraglio, in the outer court, is faid to come the nearest to it. St. George's Hall, which is paved with for its neatnefs; and in particular the ftone-roof is esteemed an excellent piece of workmanship. It is an ellipfis, fupported by Gothic with marble, and one of the finest rooms in Christendom, was defigned, from the first inftitution of the Order of the Garter, for the entertaining the knights at their inftal-pillars, whofe ribs and groins fustain ment; and the fovereign ufed to give them a banquet here every St. George's day. This room has, by his prefent majefty, been confiderably improved, and the utmoft tafte and fuitable embellishments difplayed in it. The royal chapel, at the weft end of it, is alfo paved with marble, and adorned with carved work, which exceeds any to be met with in England. the whole cieling, every part of which has fome different device well finifhed, as the arms of Edward the Confeffor, Edward IV. Henry VII. and VIII. alfo the arms of England and France, quarterly, the crofs of St. George, the rofe, portcullis, lion rampant, unicorn, &c. The beautiful painted window by Mr. Picket, after a design of Sir Joshua Reynolds, was put up a few years ago by his prefent majefty's direction; and the execution of it is beyond defcription. But what appears moft worthy notice is the choir. On each fide are the ftalls of the fovereign and knights companions of the moft noble Order of the Garter, with the helmet, mantling creft, and fword of each knight fet up over his ftall, on a canopy of ancient carving curioufly wrought; and over the canopy is affixed the banner or arms of each knight properly blazoned on filk; and on the back of the ftalls are the titles of the knights, with their arms neatly engraved and blazoned on copper. The fovereign's ftall is on the right hand of the entrance into the choir, and is covered with purple velvet and cloth of gold, and has a canopy and complete furniture of the fame valuable materials; his banner is likewife of velvet, and his mantling of cloth of gold. The prince's ftall is on the left, and has no diftinction from the rest of the knights com St. George's Chapel, in which the knights of the most noble Order of the Garter are inftalled, was begun in the year 1337, and is one of the most beautiful and ftately Gothic buildings in the world. As the knights die, their banners are taken down, and their titles and coats of arms are engraved on little copper-plates and nailed to the ftalls, from whence they are never removed. By the registry of the Garter, of which the dean of Windfor, is keeper, the bishop of Salibury, chancellor, and the bishop of Winchester, prelate (which honours are annexed to their fees) it appears, that, befides our own kings, who have been fovereigns of this moft noble order, ever fince its inftitution by Edward III. there have been nine emperors of Germany, knights companions of it, above thirty kings of foreign nations, eleven electors of the empire, fixteen other fovereign princes, feven princes of Orange, two dukes of Brunswick Lunenburgh, two princes of Heffe, a margrave of Brandenburgh-panions; the whole fociety, accordfpach, befides marthals, dukes, or peers of France, and grandees of Spain; while it is obferved, to the honour of the English monarchs, that they never accepted any of the orders created by foreign fovereigns. The architecture of the infide of this chapel has always been admired ing to the ftatutes of the inititurion, being companions and colleagues equal in honour and power. The altar-picce was, foon after the refto1ation, adorned with cloth of gold and purple dainak, by Charles II. but on removing the wainfcut of one of the chapels in 1707, a Princess Elizabeth.-'I he Petticoat crape, with oblique ftripes of fable intermixed with gold; train gold tissue. fine painting of the Lord's Sup-crape embroidered with gold, train per was found, which being approved gold tiffue. of by fir James Thornhill, Verrio, and other eminent mafters, was repaired and placed on the altar. This has fince been replaced by a most fuperb painting by Mr. Weft, in 1788. Near the altar is the queen's gallery, for the accommodation of the ladies, at an installation. Princess Mary.-Petticoat crape, embroidered with gold and filver foil; train rich tissue. Princess Amelia -The fame. The Duchefs of York.-A white fatin petticoat trimmed with a drapery of rich embroidered crape in ftars, bordered with a rich vandyke, and edged with a beautiful fable, banded with rich embroidery across, and a rich gold and silver Mofaic fringe: the gown of a fuperb gold filk trimmed with fable, and the fleeves richdrawn up with diamonds. Windfor-caftle is fituated upon a high hill, which rifes by a gentle afcent, and commands a moft delightful profpect around it. In the front is a wide and extenfive vale, adorned with corn-fields and meadows, with groves on either fide, and the calm fmooth water of the Thames running through it; and behind it are every where hills, co-ly vered with woods, as if nature had peculiarly defigned it for the pleafures of the chace. DESCRIPTION OF THE LADIES' DRESSES on her MAJESTY'S BIRTH-DAY. The Queen. ER majefty was drest with her The Princefs of Orange.-white fatin petticoat trimmed with a rich embroidered crape in Greek pattern, a drapery thrown over, embroidered in coloured foils, and edged with a handfome gold plate fringe. The Hereditary Princess of Orange. -Body and train of gold tiffue; petticoat of crape parfeme with gold, and fancifully ornamented with feftoons of laurel, rich cord and taffels. -- Hufual plannels on this day, coat of crape, covered with ziz zag that is, without many diamonds. A crape petticoat, richly embroidered in vandykes of purple velvet, covered with gold net, a quillery of blond round the bottom, the train of purple and black ftriped velvet, vandyked round the edge with gold net; a feftoon trimmed with rich blond. The Princefs Royal.-A crape petticoat fuperbly embroidered with gold foil, the train a most beautiful gold brocaded tiffue. We cannot help remarking the extreme richnefs and brilliancy of the various tints displayed in this fuperb drefs, which, we understand, is of Perfian manus facture, being part of the prefents from the Ottoman ambaffador. Princefs Augufta-The petticoat ftripes of filver fpangles, a border round the bottom, of coquelicot and black velvet. Countess of Bute.-Petticoat crape, embroidered with gold foil; a fuperb drapery of white fatin, covered with an embroidery of gold intermixed with foil-ftones and peacocks' feathers. Countess of Chesterfield.-A white fatin petticoat, trimmed with a crape richly embroidered in gold, in testoons, upon a beautiful painted ribbon and gold taffels. Countess of Fauconberg-A rich embroidered crape petticoat in coquelicot velvet and ftones: the gown gold and white. Lady Ann Fitzroy.-Body and train of white fatin, trimmed with 7 maroon |