kingdom. Alfred is fuppofed by fome to have been its founder; but Alfred rather appears to have restored it, in an age of confusion and ignorance, and to have been the father of that establishment and fecurity, which, notwithstanding fome temporary fhocks and interruptions, it has maintained ever fince. Alfred erected certain Schools or Halls, and affigned penfions to the ftudents. The first College of the University, incorporated by royal charter, was that of Walter de Merton, A. D. 1274; about which time, 15,000 scholars are reported to have been refident here; but in the reign of Henry III. the University is faid to have confifted of double that number.

The Town is fituated on a broad eminence, which arises fo gradually as to be hardly perceptible, in the midst of a moft beautiful extent of meadows, to the fouth, eaft, and weft, and of corn fields to the north. The vales on the east are watered by the river Cherwell, and those on the weft and fouth by the main ftream, and several branches of the Ifis; all these unite towards the fouth-eaft, and form one beautiful river. The landscape is bounded on every fide, the north excepted, by hills moderately high, about two miles diftant. The opening to the north admits a free current of fresh air, and entirely removes all inconveniencies arifing from the noxious vapours of a watry fituation. From the surrounding hills the traveller is surprised with an unparalleled prospect of magnificence; of spires, domes, and turrets, with the combined charms of verdure, water, and wood. The foil is a fine gravel, altogether affording a dry, healthy, and pleasant fituation.

That part of the Town properly denominated the City, and originally enclofed with walls, is not more than two miles in circumference, and of an oblong figure. The fuburbs are moft confiderable on the north, eaft, and weft fides; containing the parishes of Holywell, Magdalen, St. Clement, St. Giles, and St. Thomas; with the Colleges of

Baliol,

Baliol, Trinity, Wadham, Worcester, St. John, and Magdalen. The walls, from that part of them which remains as a boundary to New College on the north and east, appear to have been embattled with Baftions, at 150 feet distance from each other. The walls likewife, but without their battlements, ferve as a fence to Merton College, on the fouth and eaft. A few detached fragments of them are difcernable at other places. The whole Town is about three miles in circumference.

The principal ftreet is the High-Street, running from Magdalen Bridge to Carfax Church. Its length and breadth are hardly to be paralleled. It is remarkably clean, well paved, and lighted. It derives its principal grandeur from the fronts of three magnificent Colleges, Queen's and All Souls on the north, and Univerfity on the fouth fide, with the Churches of St. Mary and All Saints. This ftreet would be lefs beautiful was it in a ftrait line. From its tendency to a curve, it affords a gradual and unexpected difplay of its parts, and fucceffively furprises us, at every turn, with a new object. This ftreet, but under different names, is continued towards the Caftle.

The next confiderable street, by fome called Fifth Street, leads from Carfax to a bridge over the Ifis, on which formerly ftood a turret called Friar Bacon's Study. It is adorned with the ftately front of the College of ChriftChurch, which is extended to the length of 382 feet. In the same street is the Town-Hall, where the afsizes for the county, and the town and county feffions are held; a neat and commodious edifice, partly erected at the expence of Thomas Rowney, Efq. the late Reprefentative, and HighSteward of the City.

From Carfax (where formerly ftood a Conduit erected by Otho Nicholson) we pafs on the north into the Corn Market; and from thence by Magdalen parish church on the right, and Friar's Entry on the left, (being the paffage

through Gloucefter Green to Worcester College) into St. Giles's, which is a ftreet of great beauty, admitting, from its extraordinary breadth, of a regular row of elms on each fide, which have lately been planted. On the eaft fide ftands St. John's College; and the town, as well as the ftreet, is terminated at this end by St. Giles's church.

This entrance to the City, from the Woodstock and Banbury roads, is greatly ornamented by an Aftronomical Obfervatory and the Radcliffe Infirmary. The latter is a neat ftone edifice erected and furnished at the expence of Dr. Radcliffe's Truftees, out of the furplus money remaining after defraying the expence of his Library. The ground was given by the late Thomas Rowney, Efq. and the charity is fupported by benefactions and a liberal annual fubfcribtion. This inftitution receives patients from any county or nation, at once relieving the fick and lame poor, and serving as a school for academical students in medicine and pupils in furgery. The Obfervatory was also built by Dr. Radcliffe's Trustees, from the fame fund, under the direction of the celebrated Mr. Wyatt. It ftands in a field immediately to the North of the Infirmary, confifting of ten Acres, a Benefaction of his Grace the Duke of Marlborough for that purpose.

This Edifice is 175 feet fix inches in length, from East to Weft; its breadth at each Wing 24 feet; and in the centre 57 from North to South, exclusive of an elegant Portico in the South Front, which projects about fix feet from the Building. The Wings are 22 feet in height, to the top of the Moulding.

Between the Wings, in the North Front, fprings a Semicircle, the Radius of which is about 37 feet, and its height from the ground 51 feet, which includes the Hall with two adjoining Libraries on the ground floor; the ftair-cafe and the Lecture-Room with two adjoining Rooms on the next Story.

The

The third Story confifts of an Octangular Tower, executed after the Model of the celebrated Temple of the Eight Winds at Athens; the elevation of which, including the Figures fupporting a Sphere on the top, is more than 50 feet: So that the elevation of the central part of this Building is upwards of 100 feet.

The Eaftern Wing contains, in three rooms, a very complete fet of Aftronomical Inftruments, fixed in the plane of the Meridian, all made by the late celebrated and perhaps hitherto unrivalled Artift Mr. John Bird, at the expence of more than Eleven Hundred Pounds; confifting of two Quadrants, each of eight feet radius; a Tranfit Inftrument of eight feet; and a Zenith-Sector of twelve.

In the Western Wing is placed a fet of fmaller Inftruments for the ufe of the Students, and fuch Gentlemen as chufe to apply themselves to practical Aftronomy.

The Dwelling-House for the Profeffor is very commodiously connected with the Eaftern Wing of the Obfervatory by an elegant Covered Way.

Towards the lower part of the field stands a small circular Building, with a moveable roof, in which is placed an Equatorial Sector for the purposes of observing the Places of the Heavenly Bodies at any distance from the Meridian.

His Grace the Duke of Marlborough, at the fame time that he gave to the Radcliffe Trustees the Piece of Ground for the feveral purposes of this Obfervatory, was alfo pleased to present to the University a Reflecting Tellescope of twelve feet, made by the late Mr. James Short, which, coft upwards of One Thousand Pounds.

The Situation of this Obfervatory is extremely advantageous, as it commands a very extenfive Horizon, and is not liable to be incommoded by the fmoke of the town.

The principal Bridges are, 1. Magdalen Bridge, over the Cherwell, being 526 feet in length, by which we enter

B 3

the

the town from London. 2. High-bridge, or Hithe-bridge*, in the western fuburb, over the Ifis; confifting of three Arches. Folly-bridge, as it is commonly called, in the fouthern fuburb, on the fame river, over which is the Abingdon road, which leads to various Parts of Berkshire, &c. This confifts of three arches, and is, like the reft, entirely built with ftone.

The City of Oxford, with its fuburbs, and liberties, confifts of fourteen parishes, viz.

1. St. Mary's. 2. All Saints.

3. St. Martin's, or Carfax. 4. St. Aldate's, or St. Old's. 5. St. Ebb's.

6. St. Peter's in the Bailey. 7. St. Michael's.

8. St. Mary Magdalen's.
9. St. Peter's in the Eaft.
10. Holywell.

II. St. Giles's.
12. St. Thomas's.
13. St. John's.

14. St. Clement's.

Only four of the churches belonging to thefe parishes are worthy obfervation, viz. St. Mary's, All Saints, St. Peter's, and St. John's. That of St. Mary will be defcribed among the Public Buildings of the University, to which it feems more immediately connected than to its parish; and that of St. John, under the article of Merton College.

The Church of All Saints, fituated in the High-Street, is an elegant modern ftructure, much in the ftyle of many of the new churches in London. It is beautified both within and without, with Corinthian pilafters, and finished with an attic ftory and balluftrade. There is no pillar in the church, though it is 72 feet long, 42 wide, and 50 high. The cieling, altar, pulpit, &c. are finely executed. Its arThe fteeple is remarkable in the modern manner. chitect was Dr. Aldrich, formerly Dean of Christ Church.