immense mirror, and ornamented at the top and sides with a superb drapery, and with artificial flowers and costly candelabras: particularly the long range of supper-rooms on the garden level, at the head of which the Regent sat, at the west-end of the conservatory, inspired the highest ideas of real magnificence. This range, beginning from the east-end, comprises the new Gothic rooms, not yet entirely finished, but temporarily hung with crimson, and the library beautifully ornamented with marbles. In these apartments there were two rows of tables, elegantly adorned. The centre room was left open. To the west, the eating-room, &c. and the conservatory, had one long table running through both. The appearance of the conservatory was truly striking and brilliant. The architecture is of the most delicate Gothic. The upper end was a kind of circular buffet, surmounted by a medallion, with the initials G. P. R. lined by festoons and antique draperies of pink and silver, and partly filled by mirrors, before which, on ornaimented shelves, stood a variety of vases, candlesticks, &c. of the most gorgeous gold plate. Supplied as indeed all the tables were, with every attainable delicacy and luxury which wealth and rank could command, or ingenuity could suggest, and embellished by all the art and skill of the confectioner with emblematical devices of every conceivable appropriate description, this table displayed a still more splendid exuberance. In the front of the Regent's seat there was a circular bason of water, with an enriched temple in the centre of it, from whence there was a meandering stream to the bottom of the table, bordered with green banks. Three or four fantastic bridges were thrown over it, one of them with a small tower upon it, which gave the little stream a picturesque appearance. It contained also a number of gold and silver fish. The excellence of design and exquisiteness of workmanship could not be exceeded; it exhibited a grandeur beyond description; while the many and various purposes for which gold and silver materials were used, were equally beautiful and superb in all their minute details. The surprising lustre thrown upon the whole by the brilliancy of the illumination, seemed to realize all that fancy has feigned of the magnificent wonders of oriental creation.

The company, which arrived from nine till half-past twelve, were ushered into the state rooms, and soon filled the house. The hall was crowded and was made the same use of as the apartments of state. Under the grand arched doorway between the halls, was a most elegant scarlet and gold drapery, after the antique.

Gentlemen wore court suits, many richly embroidered, or else military and naval uniforms. The waving plumage-the elegant, variegated dresses the sparkling diamonds--and, still more, the native beauty and grace of the ladies, gave a sort of enchanting perfection to the whole of this brilliant courtly exhibition. La vieille cour de Versailles', with all its proud pretensions, could never have more attractively set forth the elegant fascinations of fashionable life and exalted rank.

The upper servants of his Royal Highness's household wore a rich costume of dark blue, trimmed with very broad gold lace: the others

wore

wore their state liveries. A considerable number of the yeomen of the guard attended in different parts. The assistants out of livery were dressed uniformly, in black suits with white waistcoats. Two of the bands of the guards, in state uniforms, played various airs throughout the night. Parties of the foot-guards protected all the immediate avenues; and the horse-guards were stationed in Pall-mall, St. James's street, St. James's-square, Piccadilly, &c. Every thing was managed, with the assistance of the police, with unexampled care and convenience.

It is said that on no previous occasion, and at no court in Europe, was ever the experiment made to set down 2000 of the principal nobility and gentry of a kingdom to a regular supper. The largest entertainment at the most brilliant period of the French monarchy was that given by the Prince of Condé at Chantilly, to the King of Sweden, when 400 covers were laid. At the Prince Regent's fête, covers were laid for 1600 under canvas, and for 400 in the house.

June 29.

This day the ceremony of installing his Royal Highness the Duke of Glocester, the new chancellor of the University of Cambridge, took place in the senate-house. For the Installation Ode, see General Chronicle, vol. ii, page 497. The occasion was celebrated by the usual festivities, and by liberal entertainments, given by his Royal Highness.

June 30.

The following is a copy of a letter recently sent by Lord King to his tenants, and is the notice alluded to by Earl Stanhope, on his late motion in the House of Lords;

'By lease, dated 1802, you have agreed to pay the annual rent of in good and lawful money of Great Britain. In consequence of the late depreciation of paper money, I can no longer accept of any bank notes at their nominal value in payment or satisfaction of an old contract. I must, therefore, desire you to provide for the payment of your rent in the legal coin of the realm; at the same time, having no other object than to receive payment of the real intrinsic value of the sun stipulated by agreement, and being desirous to avoid giving you unnecessary trouble, I shall be willing to receive payment in either of the manners following, according to your option:

1st. By payment in guineas.

2d. If guineas cannot be procured, by a payment in Portugal gold coin, equal in weight to the number of guineas requisite to discharge the debt.

3d. By a payment in bank-paper of a sum sufficient to purchase (at the present market price) the weight of standard gold requisite to discharge the rent. The alteration of the value of paper money is estimated in this manner.

"The price of gold in 1802, the year of your agreement, was 41. per ●z. the present market price is 41. 14s. arising from the diminished value

of

KING.

of paper--in that proportion an addition of 17l. 10s. per cent. in paper-money will be required as the equivalent for the payment of rent in paper. (Signed) N.B. A power of re-entry and ejectment is reserved by deed in case of non-payment of rent due.-No draft will be received.

July 2.

On Saturday last, Lord Kenyon was called to the bar, by the Honourable Society of benchers of the Middle Temple. He had not, as is usual, kept his terms and commons, but his admission was a tribute of respect to the memory of the late Lord Kenyon, who, for many years so ably filled the important office of Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench. There were two remonstrances on the subject, signed by twelve barristers and eighteen students. It was considered, that to call a peer to the bar, was a proceeding so anomalous, that it ought not to be adopted; for if he pleaded at the bar, which he would be entitled to do, it might happen that he would have to argue a demurrer, in a cause which, upon an appeal to the House of Lords, he would have ultimately to decide, as one of the hereditary judges of the high court of parliament. The remonstrances, however, had no effect against a precedent which was precisely to the point. In the year 1661, the Duke of York and the Duke of Buckingham were admitted students of the Inner Temple. Neither of them kept their terms. The Duke of Buckingham was not called, but the Duke of York, who was heir-apparent to the crown, was called to the bar.

July 4. The-stamp duty on hats ceased on Friday.

About 26 head of cattle were killed last week, by the lightning, at Risby and Walsham, Norfolk.

Yesterday, at one o'clock, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen Curtis, Magnay, Birch, and several others, attended on the hustings at Guildhall, with the city officers, to declare in form the result of the Poll, at the late election for sheriffs.

Mr. Sheriff Goodbehere addressed the livery, and declared that Alderman Birch and Mr. Heygate had been elected by a majority of votes, to fill the important office of Sheriffs of London and Middlesex.-For an account of the proceedings on the show of hands, see p. 90.

July 5.

This day, a court of common council was held at Guildhall, which was numerously attended. Mr. Alderman Birch presented a petition to the court, signed by twenty-six freemen of the City of London, confined for debt in the prison of Ludgate. The worthy Alderman observed, the petitioners were persons who would probably be released under the insolvent-bill which had recently passed both houses of parliament. The circumstance to which he wished to call the attention of the court was the distressed situation in which these unfortunate persons would be when discharged-destitute of money or any means of obtaining immediate support, except by incurring fresh debts, and risking fresh imprisonment

imprisonment. As a proof of the distress which many of these unhappy people laboured under, after being discharged, he would relate an instance, of the truth of which he was well assured, which occurred on the passing a recent insolvent act. A young man, discharged under the act, immediately on obtaining his liberty, hastened to the wretched habitation where he expected to find his wife. He found her indeed, but dead! She had expired half an hour before his arrival, of absolute want. Distracted at this event, he left the house, applied to a friend, who lent him money enough to enable him to purchase a dose of poison, which he did he took it, and death followed: he was buried in the same grave and on the same day with his wife. On this fact it would be needless for him to make any comment. The petition he held in his hand prayed aid, and if the facts stated in it were true, aid was indeed necessary to those who solicited it. He should at present only move, that the petition be referred to the committee for general purposes, who might inquire into the statements contained therein. This motion was seconded by Sir James Shaw, and agreed to.

July 8.

A youth, named East, whose employ was to attend a few sheep in Torrington Marshes, near the town of Lynn, was unfortunately drowned, last week, whilst bathing in a large piece of water adjacent. His faithful dog witnessed the fatal transaction, flew to his relief whilst struggling for life in the water, drew the body to the land, and immediately ran howling and barking incessantly to every person and house in the neighbourhood. Some humane people were soon attracted to the spot by means of the dog, but too late to render any assistance in restoring animation.

At the late Somerset assizes, Betty Townsend, aged seventy-seven, for many years past considered by the superstitious as a witch, was tried for obtaining money of a child under the following circumstances: -The prosecutor, Jacob Poole, was a labouring man, residing in a hamlet of Taunton, in which parish the prisoner also resided, and had been in the habit of sending his daughter, aged about thirteen, with apples in a basket to market. About the 24th of January last, the old wonian met the little girl, stopped her, and asked to see what she had in her basket; which having examined, she said to her, Hast got any money? The child said she had none. Then get some for me, said the old woman, and bring it to me at the door of the Castle, (a tavern in Taunton), or I will kill thee! The child, terrified at such a threat from a witch, procured two shillings, and carried it to her; when the old woman said, 'Tis a good turn thou hast got it, or else I would have made thee die by inches. This was repeated seven times within five months, when Poole, the father, going to the shop of Mr. Bruford, a druggist in Taunton, to pay a little bill which he owed for medicine, found no less than seven different charges against him for money lent; and on inquiry found that different small sums of two shillings, half-a-crown, five shillings, &c. had been borrowed by the little girl in her father's name,

for

for the purpose, as she said, of going to market, but carried as a peaceoffering to the old woman. The whole was now discovered; and Poole's wife and another woman took the girl with them to the prisoner's house, and interrogated her as to the facts. She admitted a knowledge of the girl, but on being reprehended for her conduet, raved and swore that if they dared to accuse her, she would make them die by inches. No, said Mrs. Poole, (who appears to have thought that she knew much better how to deal with a witch than her daughter), that thee shalt not,I'll hinder that; and, taking a pin from her clothes, scratched the witch from her elbow to her wrist, in three places, to draw her blood, a process believed to be of unfailing efficacy as an antidote to witchcraft. The idea of this wicked woman's power has had so serious an effect on the mind of the poor little girl, that she is now reduced to such a state of debility, that she is scarcely able to take any sustenance. The jury found the prisoner Guilty; and the Judge observed, that only her extreme old age prevented him from pronouncing on her the severest sentence the law would allow she was sentenced to pay a fine of one shilling, and to be kept to hard labour in the House of Correction for six calendar months.

:

The bill for the appointment of commissioners, for the purpose of superintending the management of the several endowed grammar-schools in Ireland, has been printed. The commissioners are to be a corporation with a common seal, to be entitled, The Commissioners of Public Classical education in Ireland.-The jurisdiction of the commissioners will comprise the several free schools of Armagh, Dungannon, Raphoe, Enniskillen, Cavan, Banagher, Carysfort, all founded by Charles I.; Navan, Ballyroan, founded by John Preston, Esq.; and Clonmell School, founded by R. and S. Moore, Esqrs.: but this jurisdiction is not to extend to the schools founded by Erasmus Smith. The rents and profits of the lands belonging to the said schools are to be vested in the commissioners, to be by them applied solely and exclusively to the use and advantage thereof. The commissioners are also to have the superintendance of the Diocesan Schools, founded by Queen Elizabeth, with power to erect new ones, and provide for the maintenance of those already in being, where the present means are insufficient.

The late Duke of Devonshire had recently enclosed the principal part of his mountain-estate round Buxton, on which he had erected several farm houses, and other appropriate buildings, to the great improvement of a country, that for centuries has remained in a desart and barren state.

An Herculean work, which in its commencement seemed to bid defiance to ingenuity and art, has been accomplished in Carnarvonshire, by that patriotic aud spirited individual, A. Madocks, Esq. We allude to the embankment at Tre-Madoc, which we are gratified in saying, is now completed. By this embankment, several thousands of acres of

land