ALUM AND ALUM-WORKS. I. THE question, "What's in a name?" has often been asked, as if the name attached to an article or a substance were of no import. Perhaps its import is but small, when we all agree as to the identity of the ticular name has been employed in past times, and we are not certain that the application thereof was quite the same as at the present day, a fertile source of discussion arises. These remarks are in a great measure applicable to the substance to which the name of alum is applied; we will therefore briefly trace its history, with a view of determining how far it was known to the ancients. large billet-moulding; and at the north-west angle, columnar pilasters of a peculiar character are carried up to above half the height of the elevation. An interlaced series of small round arches, (surmounted by a billeted string-course,) extends along the lower portion of the north end, the central part being varied by an inserted pilaster, composed of a half-lozenge, flanked by two semi-columns: the spandrils and intervening surfaces are chequered with the fish-scale ornament. But the most interesting specimen of the Nor-substance to which it is applied; but when a parman work is the circular staircase turret; which projects towards the north-east; and which progressively exhibits, first, a series of five intersected semicircular arches, rising from small columns, and enriched with the fishscale and billet-mouldings; secondly, a billeted stringcourse, surmounted by five small arches springing from double columns; thirdly, a diamond-shaped net-work, or rope-like reticulated division, crowned by a chevron, or zigzag string course; and fourthly, five small arches, similar to the others, but the shafts of which are gone; as are, also, two of those of the lower series. Other vestiges of the ancient work are apparent on the eastern side, which had, originally, a semicircular termination; but this has been altered into two small chapels in the pointed style. The large pointed-arch window in the upper story of the north end is also an insertion of after-times. Though the ground has been much raised, the arches of two windows are yet open, which admitted light into the ancient crypt, below this part of the transept: the crypt itself is closed up. Our limits scarcely allow us to enter into further particulars; but we cannot refrain from noticing some of the curiosities of by-gone days, connected with this ancient edifice. On the backs, arms, and jambs of the ancient stalls and under-seats of the priory establishment, there is a profusion of carving in alto and bas-relief, including many representations of a grotesque and satirical character, which are supposed to refer to the selfish arts of the mendicant friars, who began to establish themselves in England in the thirteenth century. Of this description, in particular, are two specimens on the south side; the first of which exhibits a hog in a cowl, with his feet resting on the edge of a pulpit, preaching to a flock of geese, who eagerly listening to his discourse, whilst, on a small stool behind the pulpit, a cock officiates as clerk ;the other is a zany, or posture-master, said to represent the people at large, turning up his legs backward, as though in the display of his art, whilst a dog, taking advantage of his folly, is devouring the contents of his porridge-pot. appear Among the panelled carvings at the back of the stalls, and which seem to be of subsequent introduction to the original carved-work, are various medallion-like heads, or masks; some of which are altogether grotesque, or fanciful, whilst others are conjectured to be both of a satirical and a political character. The latter are supposed to refer to the times of Henry the Seventh, and the unsuccessful attempts made to dispossess him of the throne. It is extremely probable that the various caricatures just alluded to, are seldom, if ever, noticed, except by the antiquary, or other curious visitant. They may, therefore, do but little harm; but we cannot avoid remarking that the existence of burlesque ornaments in connexion with an edifice devoted to the solemn and immediate service of the Deity, is so utterly out of keeping, that, though they may be regarded, for the most part, as mere squibs let off at Romish practices and devices, they had been better removed long ago, but preserved elsewhere for the inspection of those who love to examine the productions of the men of "olden time." PRESUMING self-confidence is the badge of ignorance and the curse of fools. It is the humble privilege of the wise alone to doubt: and they who know the most are always the most sensible how little the most enlightened know.— BURNET. The Romans were acquainted with a substance called alumen; and many writers have been ready enough to infer that this must have been the substance now called alum. It has been ascertained, however, that this substance was a vitriolic earth which was formed in mines. Beckmann, in accounting for the ease with which this earth might be mistaken for alum, says . correctly, saline substances, which have a very close affinity. Alum and vitriol are neutral salts, or, to speak more Both contain the same acid, called the vitriolic, both have a strong astringent quality, and on this account are often comprehended under the common name of styptic salts. Both are also not only found in the same places, but are frequently obtained from the same minerals; and both can be sometimes employed in the like manner, and for the same purposes. The advance of chemical knowledge, since the time when Beckmann wrote, has made some changes in the nomenclature employed in descriptions of this kind; but the fact which he endeavours to prove seems to be borne out by collateral circumstances. Alum-works are nowhere mentioned by the classical writers; nor is there any allusion to establishments bearing any relation thereto, except one existing in Spain, where blue vitriol was made by a process of boiling. The alum spoken of by the Roman writers appears to have been a natural product, and therefore much more likely to resemble a vitriolic earth than true alum. But there are other writers among the moderns who do not assent to Beckmann's opinion, but think that the alumen of the ancients was the alum of the moderns. Leaving this discussion, therefore, we proceed to state, that the alumen of the Romans was very serviceable both in medicine and in the art of dyeing. They procured it from various parts of the world; but Egypt seems to have been the place from whence the best was obtained; and it is mentioned by Herodotus, that when the people of Delphos, after losing their temple by fire, were Amasis king of Egypt sent them a thousand talents collecting a contribution in order to rebuild it, of alum. The island of Melos, in the Grecian Archipelago, was also mentioned by Pliny, Celsus, Diodorus Siculus, and others, as a place whence excellent alum was obtained; and the statement that the alumen of the ancients was only a vitriolic earth, Melos, a natural vitriol has been found in later times seems to be borne out by the fact, that in the grottoes at by Tournefort and Matthews. Many of the islands and countries of the Mediterranean, such as Lipari, Stromboli, and Sardinia, appear to have produced the so-called alum; and it is said to have been so plentiful at Lipari at one period, that the duty imposed on it brought a considerable revenue to the Romans. Among the many purposes to which the alum of 5322 the ancients was applied, was that of rendering | wooden buildings partially fire-proof, It is related by Aulus Gellius, that Archelaus, one of the generals of Mithridates, washed a wooden tower with a solution of alum, and thus rendered it so far capable of resisting fire, that all Sylla's attempts to set it in flames proved abortive. The preceding details relate wholly to the substance called by the ancients alumen; but, for the reasons above stated there is strong ground to believe that that substance did not correspond with what we now call alum. The earliest certain information which we have concerning alum can be traced to about the thirteenth or fourteenth century. It appears to have been first known from its beneficial use in the art of dyeing, by fixing the dye-stuff to the woven materials, and rendering the tints more brilliant; and as the finest dyes were undoubtedly produced in the East, it appears probable that we may attribute the discovery and first use of alum to the Orientals. The use of this substance appears to have made its way from the East to the Levant; and the Italians for a long period purchased their alum from the Turks, after the latter had gained possession of the Greek islands in the Levant. But there were strong religious differences between the Christians and the Turks, and as the latter had extensive views of conquest throughout Eastern Europe, it grieved the Christians to be obliged to purchase alum, and the other materials for dyeing, from them; and the Italians, by discovering aluminous minerals in their own country, and by learning the mode of preparation in the Turkish alum-works, gradually acquired the means of preparing alum in Italy. The manufacture, having thus taken a turn, flowed so successfully in the new channel, that many of the Turkish alumworks were abandoned. It was said by some writers, that the Italians acquired the art of making alum at Rocca, in Syria, and that from this circumstance, the new substance, in order to distinguish it from the alumen of the ancients, was called alum di Rocca; and that from thence sprang the the French alun de roche, and the English rock alum. Other writers, however, are of opinion, that these appellations result from the words rocca or rock, alluding to the rocky source whence the aluminous substance is obtained. An alum-work existed near Smyrna in the fifteenth century; and Ducas, who resided on the spot, has given a description, rather minute for the age in which it was written, of the mode of manufacture pursued there. It appears, that an aluminous kind of stone, found on a neighbouring mountain, was collected, calcined by means of fire, and then reduced to grains by being thrown into water. The water, mixed with the sand, was put into the vessel, and a little more water being added to it, and the whole being made to boil, the grains became liquefied, and a sediment of a twofold nature was produced; viz., a crystalline cake, which was preserved, and earthy impurities, which were thrown away. The cake was afterwards suffered to dissolve in vessels for four days; at the end of which time, the alum was found in crystals around their edges, and the bottoms of them were also covered with fragments of a like nature. maining liquor, which at the end of four days did not coagulate or harden, was poured into a kettle, and, by a similar process to that before observed, an inferior kind of alum was produced. The re Alum-works appear to have been first constructed in Italy about the middle or latter end of the fifteenth century. It is said that one Bartholomew Perdix, a Genoese merchant, learned the art of preparing alum! while travelling in Syria; and that after he had returned to Italy, journeying on one occasion to the little island of Ischia, he saw several rocks formed apparently of the same substance as that from whence the Syrians obtained their alum: he collected some fragments, and having calcined them, was enabled to produce from them very excellent alum. A somewhat similar account is given of the origin of the celebrated alum-works at Tolfa, the oldest now carried on in Europe. John de Castro resided at Constantinople, as a trader in Italian cloths and dye-stuffs, and made himself acquainted with the mode of boiling alum. He was there when the city fell into the hands of the Turks; and after this unfortunate event, by which he lost all his property, he returned to his own country. Pursuing there his researches in natural history, he found in the neighbourhood of Tolfa, a plant which he had observed growing in great abundance in the aluminous districts of Asia: from this he conjectured, that the soil in which this grew, might also be of an aluminous nature. The estate of Tolfa was in the possession of the family of Frangipani; and when De Castro communicated his surmises to the owner, the soil was analyzed, and a rich store of alum obtained from it. The pope claimed the mineral treasure as belonging to the apostolic see: this, however, Frangipani resisted, and a series of contests ensued, in which the sword was used as an arbiter. At length, however, the Pope was willing to purchase the estate of Tolfa and its mineral riches, for the sum of sixteen thousand gold crowns. The possession of this alum-mine on the part of the Christians was deemed a matter of great importance, since there had been annually transmitted to Turkey, as large a sum as three hundred thousand gold crowns for alum, to be used in dyeing. After this period alum-works were erected in various places; for as De Castro had proved the existence of aluminous earth in one part of Italy, it was natural that researches should be made in other parts, with a view of discovering other specimens of the same rock. Alum-works were erected at Volaterra in 1458, by a Genoese, named Antonius; but the supply of material appears to have been speedily exhausted at that spot. But in whatever part of Italy the alum-works were erected, the Pope soon contrived to become the possessor of them, either by purchase or through intimidation. He then endeavoured, by every method possible, to prevent foreigners from acquiring an accurate knowledge of the art of boiling alum; and at the same time found means, by entering into commercial treaties with other nations, and by the use of his spiritual authority, to extend the commerce in this article. The price was raised from time to time, and it at length became so high, that foreigners could purchase this salt at a cheaper rate in Spain, and even by sending to Turkey for it; but the Pope issued bulls, excommunicating any person who should use any other than Roman alum; and he endeavoured to induce others to fall in with his views, by announcing that he would set apart the income arising from his alum-works to the prosecution of a war against the infidels. But these humiliating restrictions on the freedom of European commerce were not likely to be submitted to for a continuance. In the beginning of the sixteenth century, alum-works were established near Carthagena in Spain: in 1554 others commenced at Oberkaufungen, near Hesse; in 1558, at Commotau, in Bohemia; in 1563, at Lower Laugenau; and a rew years afterwards, at Dieben, Dippoldiswalda, Lobenstein, and numerous other places. The first alum-work erected in England, was that at Gisborough, in Yorkshire, in the reign of Queen | Elizabeth. It is said by Pennant, that these works were established by Sir Thomas Chaloner, who observing the trees to be tinged with an unusual colour, suspected that there must be some peculiar mineral contained in the soil; and on examination he found the soil to be strongly aluminous. As there were no persons in England familiar with the mode of extracting alum from the soil, Sir Thomas enticed over some persons from the Pope's alum-works near Rome: this proceeding drew down anathemas and excommunications from the Pope; but they were not able to prevent the spread of alum-works in the various countries. During the last century the influence of the papal see over the commerce of Europe greatly declined, and alum-works were established wherever the nature of the soil offered advantages for so doing. Having thus briefly traced the history of the establishment of alum-works, we shall, in another article, notice the chemical properties of the substance, and the modes of preparing it from the earth with which it is combined. THE inhabitants of cities and of large towns have in many instances little opportunity or even inclination for remarking the various wonderful phenomena of nature which present themselves unsought to the notice of country-people. Not one, however, of our most incurious citizens could witness the astonishing appearance occasionally produced by the agency of the little Gossamer Spider without surprise and admiration, or without being led to make some inquiries on the subject. On a fine autumnal day the surface of the earth is sometimes covered with webs of the finest texture: this is especially observable on fields of clover or vetches, where the whole crop is covered with a delicate veil, the manufacture of this most industrious little spider: and not only so; the air is also filled with floating webs, and what is called a "shower of gossamers" is not unfrequently seen to fall. The writer of this article has witnessed but one of these remarkable appearances, but in the writings of natu ralists we find them spoken of, as often recurring in particular districts, and as being so constant during autumn in Germany, as to be called "the flying, or departing of summer." The appearance of gossamer webs in the fields is more frequent, and must have excited the attention of many of our readers, presenting so extraordinary a spectacle as it does in the morning, when the sun is shining brightly on the brilliant dew-bespangled webs, and producing a variety of beautiful hues. Learned naturalists busied themselves in vain, at an early period, to account for the appearances of gossamer spiders. A very strange notion was at one time entertained, that the webs were nothing more than dew, scorched by the sun's rays. An opinion quite as absurd as this was held by one of the first fellows of the Royal Society, the celebrated Robert Hooke, who thus expresses it in his Micrographia :Much resembling a cobweb, or a confused lock of these cylinders, is a certain white substance, which after a fogg may be observed to fly up and down the air; catching several of these, and examining them with my m croscope, I found them to be much of the same form, looking most like a flake of worsted prepared to be spun, though by what means they should be generated and produced is not easily imagined: they were of the same weight, or very little heavier than air; and 'tis not unlikely, but that those great white clouds, that appear all the summer time may be of the same substance' In France, the gossamer-webs are called "fils de la Vierge," and it was formerly the opinion of naturalists in that country, that they were composed of the cotton-like envelope in which the eggs of the coccus of the vine are secured. The first naturalists who discovered the true nature of these webs were Dr. Hulse and Dr. Martin Lister. From numerous observations made by these gentlemen, the fact became confirmed that the webs were the work of a spider, who had thus the means of constructing a kind of air-balloon, and of ascending to a great height in the air. Many of our readers may remember the account given by White, of Selborne, of a remarkable gossamer-shower which fell in his neighbourhood, but for the benefit of those who do not possess his interesting work, we here transcribe it: On September the 21st, 1741, being then on a visit, and intent on field diversions, I rose before daybreak: when I came into the enclosures, I found the stubbles and clovergrounds matted all over with a thick coat of cobweb, in the meshes of which a copious and heavy dew hung so plentifully that the whole face of the country seemed, as it were, covered with two or three setting-nets, drawn one over another. When the dogs attempted to hunt, their eyes were so blinded and hood-winked that they could not proceed, but were obliged to lie down, and scrape the encumbrances from their faces with their fore-feet; so that, find ing my sport interrupted, I returned home, musing in my mind on the oddness of the occurrence. As the morning advanced the sun became bright and warm, and the day turned out one of those most lovely ones which no season but the autumn produces,-cloudless, calm, serene, and worthy of the south of France itself. About nine, an appearance very unusual began to demand our attention,a shower of cobwebs falling from very elevated regions, and These webs were not single filmy threads, floating in the continuing without interruption, till the close of the day. air in all directions, but perfect flakes or rags; some near an inch broad, and five or six long, which fell with a degree of velocity that showed they were considerably heavier than the atmosphere. On every side, as the observer turned his eyes, he might behold a continual succession of fresh flakes falling into his sight, and twinkling like stars as they turned their sides towards the sun. Neither before nor after was any such fall observed; but on this day the flakes hung in trees and hedges so thick, that a diligent person sent out might have gathered baskets full. We might quote other accounts, particularly one which lies before us of a remarkable fall of cobwebs in the neighbourhood of Liverpool, in 1826, which was so abundant that Every tree, lamp-post, or other projecting body, had arrested a portion of the gossamer, and persons walking in the fields had their shoes completely covered with it, while its floating fibres came in contact with the face in all directions. &c. It is not our purpose, however, to extend our account of gossamer showers, but rather to inquire into the habits of the spider which is the cause of all these wonders, and to lay before our readers the most reasonable answers which have been given to the questions which naturally present themselves to the mind in connexion with the subject. The small gossamer spider (Aranea obtectrix) has a shining body of a dark-brown colour, and reddishbrown, semi-transparent legs; though of very small size, yet it appears that when full grown, it is too heavy to take aeronautic excursions: these flights are therefore performed by half-grown insects, which are about the size of a small pin's head. The vast numbers of these insects that must be congregated in a single field ere it can become veiled with cobwebs in the manner we have described, are quite incalculable, and when we remember that the webs are often extended over a space, many miles in extent, the subject becomes still more surprising. So prodigious are their numbers, that every stalk of straw in a stubblefield, and every stone and clod of earth, swarms with them. Dr. Starck found twenty or thirty on each single straw, and in the course of half an hour he collected 2000 of these little creatures, though, in consequence of their readiness to take alarm, it was difficult to secure them. The object which the Gossamer Spider has in view in constructing its web on the surface of the stubble, clover, &c., has been differently stated. Comparing the gossamer with other spiders, we might suppose that its nets were spread to entrap insects as they rise from the plants they infest, to take their flights in the air. But this supposition is contradicted by the experiments of Dr Starck, who watched the proceedings of these spiders through a large glass, which he kept on turf. He saw the spiders produce their webs in the usual manner, but could never observe them attempting to catch or eat the flies and gnats which were purposely introduced, and even entangled in the meshes of their webs. They eagerly sucked up the water, with which the turf was occasionally sprinkled, and continued lively and active for the space of two months without other food. It has therefore been suggested by Kirby and Spence that the webs are designed for means of transportation from one furrow or blade of grass to another, and are likewise spread out to receive the dew, for which these little creatures show so much avidity. The next difficulty respects the ascent of the Gossamer Spider into the air, which seems to be effected by the insect raising up its body and sending forth its threads, to be lengthened and carried by the breeze till it is itself enabled to float or sail on them in the air. What is the motive for this ascent? Is it, as generally supposed, in search of some congenial food that the young spiders betake themselves to the higher regions of the air, and show such eagerness in doing so? Or may they not, like ants and other insects, be prompted with a desire for migration, when their numbers have accumulated to an inconvenient extent in one situation? This last idea has occurred to the writer of this article as the most probable solution of the question. The power by which the spider is able to regulate its movements in the air, and to ascend and descend at pleasure, is little understood. It has been asked whether they are possessed of any organ analogous to the natatory vesicles of fishes, which renders them buoyant or not, according to their will. The more probable idea is that they send out their threads at first till they are sufficiently long to counterpoise the weight of their bodies, and having traversed the regions of air in this way, they finally descend by gathering up the threads in a closer mass, until the coils become heavier than the air, and then begin to fall with some rapidity. We cannot do better, in closing our brief account of these insects, than to adopt the words of Kirby and Spence : The fact, though so well authenticated, is indeed strange and wonderful, and affords another proof of the extraor dinary powers, unparalleled in the higher order of animals with which the Creator has gifted the insect world. Were indeed man and the larger animals, with their present propensities, similarly endowed, the whole creation would soon go to ruin. But these almost miraculous powers in the hands of these little beings, only tend to keep it in order and beauty. Adorable is that wisdom, power, and goodness, that has distinguished these next to nothings by such peculiar endowments for our preservation, as, if given to the strong and mighty, would work our destruction. A MAGICIAN AND HIS MAN. THAT there should exist in this enlightened age persons who profess to believe in the power of magic, is a convincing proof how much the marvellous is preferred by the ignorant, to the true principles of philosophy. The persons who now pretend to act upon the principle of divination, or by the art of magic, consist of knaves, who cheat the credulous for others the sake of gain, and endeavour to impose upon what they are too crafty to believe themselves. Private astrologers, who do not make a trade of their art, are, if not fools, persons whose weak minds are so susceptible as to mistake the phantoms of their disturbed imaginations for realities; and of this we have lately known an instance in a person who is not only considered sane on other subjects, but who actually holds a respectable rank in his profession. Having bent his mind upon raising a spirit, he procured certain herbs and drugs recommended for magical purposes, and shut himself up in a room in the dead of the night. There he began to burn fumigating herbs, and to make the mysterious figures directed by his instruction-book, until his imagination was worked up to such a pitch as easily transformed one object into the appearance of another, to which the fumes of aromatic smoke no doubt greatly contributed. His servant, knowing that his master studied magic, and finding great preparations for some secret performance, had, with a very natural curiosity, contrived to secrete himself in the room, instead of retiring to rest; but when the lights were extinguished, and the coloured flame of burning drugs threw a ghastly effect throughout the apartment and over the countenance of his master, he became so possessed by fear, and influenced by the fumes of the drugs, that, at the moment when his master expected to see a spectre, he, being no longer able to contain himself in his hiding-place, rose up slowly, and forgetting he was under a table, threw it over. In this confusion, he caught in a mirror the reflection of his own face, to which the burning salts had given such a cadaverous appearance, that he naturally mistook his own figure for a supernatural agent, and this so effectually worked on his imagination that he leaped suddenly on a grand piano-forte, and broke it with a tremendous crash. This only heightened the fears of both master and man. The master, believing he had raised a spirit which he could not lay, wisely quitted the room, which gave his man an opportunity to escape to bed; where his disturbed imagination presented such dreadful apprehensions to him that he became fevered and delirious, and in this state left his service, firmly believing in the power of magic. His master to this day seems convinced that he actually did raise a spirit, and to his own want of knowledge how to appease the perturbed spirit, he persists in attributing the broken piano-forte, and the overthrow of some bronze figures.Historica. -Flora THE mind that cannot obtrude its distresses on the ear of pity, is formed to feel their poignancy the deepest. Search for such carefully, and relieve them delicately. PLYMOUTH AND DEVONPORT. IV. PLYMOUTH is situated at about 218 miles from London, and, as may be supposed from the details which have already occupied our attention, possesses many of the features of an important town. Plymouth contains two parish churches, Saint Andrew's and Saint Charles's. St. Andrew's parish formerly included the whole of Plymouth, but the borough was divided into two parishes in 1640,the new parish, and the church belonging to it, being named in honour of King Charles the First. St. Andrew's Church is said to have been built as far back as the year 1291, but the tower was built in the year 1440, at the expense of a Plymouth merchant. The general style of the architecture of the church is the early English: the tower, with the battlements and pinnacles at the top, is more decorated, and contains a peal of eight bells, one of which weighs two tons and a half. Within a few years, the interior of the church has been completely renovated, under the direction of Mr. Foulston, whose name is connected with many of the modern improvements in Plymouth and Devonport. No less a sum than 50007. was expended in repairing and improving the church. There were originally side-galleries sustained by stone arches; but these have been removed to the ends of the transepts. At the east end is an elaboratelydecorated altar-piece. A noble staircase of teak-wood was constructed within the lower story of the tower, to communicate with the organ-loft, and with the galleries of the charity-schools; the space below forms a large parochial vestry-room. The pulpit, readingdesk, pews, sittings, &c., are all elegantly constructed of oak; and the general interior of the church is coloured in imitation of granite. some interior. St. Charles's Chapel has a spacious, but not handThe spire is of Dartmoor granite, and being light and airy, forms a pleasing finish to the building. Among other places of worship in Plymouth is a chapel of ease to St. Andrew's. This was built in 1823, at the expense of four gentlemen of the town. The front, like that of St. Charles's Church, is of Dartmoor granite, and the interior fittings are tasteful and elegant. At the east end is a recess for the altar, separated from the body of the church by a lofty arch, springing from pilasters, and painted in imitation of porphyry. The pulpit and reading-desk are constructed of polished oak, on a curious geometrical plan, after the Choragic monument of Lysicrates. One of the finest buildings in Plymouth is the Athenæum. A society under this name was formed in 1812, but it was not till some years afterwards that the building was erected. The front is a Doric portico of four columns, the centre intercolumniation being wider than the others. The sides of the building are plain beyond the returns of the portico, except that the entablature is continued along the whole length of the side. The portico is thirty-six feet in breadth. The principal part of the building is occupied by a fine hall or lecture-room, where lectures are delivered once a week during the winter season. These lectures form only part of the object of the Plymouth Institution, which was established for the promotion of science, literature, and the fine arts. There are also a good museum, and a laboratory. The largest private building in Plymouth is one devoted to the double purpose of an hotel and a theatre. It is the property of the corporation, and presents a front 275 feet in length. The hotel is said to be unrivalled in external appearance by any hotel in London, or perhaps in the kingdom. On the ground-floor are the principal tavern-apartments, of the usual kind, the entrance to which is under an Ionic portico, fifty-nine feet in width. Besides the usual apartments forming part of a large hotel, there is a splendid series of assembly rooms, one of which measures seventy-six feet by forty, and is entered by three large folding-doors. The fittings up of all these apartments are very elegant; and the general structure of the building is much admired for the classical taste with which it has been designed. The theatre is leased out by the corporation. A Public Library was erected in Plymouth, about thirty years ago, under the direction of Mr. Foulston. Before this building was erected, a room in the guildhall had been devoted to this purpose: but this being found to be too small, the present building was constructed from a joint-stock fund. The stock of books amounts to six or. seven thousand; and the care of them is under a committee shareholders. The Plymouth Exchange is a capacious building, standing in Woolster Street, and the Royal Union Baths form an extensive and elegant range of buildings. In connexion with the baths is a reservoir, capable of holding 2700 hogsheads, into which pure sea-water is conveyed by cast-iron pipes, nine inches in diameter, from Plymouth Sound. We have said that Plymouth is built principally round a little inlet of the sea called Sutton Pool. The buildings immediately contiguous to the water are public and private quays, shipwrights' yards, warehouses, and buildings connected with maritime and commercial pursuits. At the entrance are two piers of solid masonry, ninety feet apart, and dues are paid by all vessels entering within these piers. Sutton Pool is the resort of fishing vessels, and likewise of coasting vessels. The commodities imported. into the pool, are chiefly these: coal, culm, timber, tar, iron, wines, spirits, Irish provisions, grocery, corn, fruit, glass, and earthenware. The exports, are principally lime, granite, metallic ores, slate, &c. There is an ancient barbican at the western side of the pool, connected with the old fortifications; and at the time of the long siege to which we alluded in our first article, the barbican was the scene of an incident which was thus described by an eye-witness : · One remarkable passage of God's providence' to us, we must with thankfulness relate, remember, and acknowledge. After the town had been a long time besieged strictly, and no fresh victual, either fish or flesh, could be had, whereby multitude of pilchards into the harbour, within the barbican, the people were greviously punished; there came an infinite which the people took up with great ease in baskets; which did not only refresh them for the present, but a great deal more were taken, preserved, and salted, whereby the poor got much money; such a passage has not happened before. The new Market-place of Plymouth is a commodious spot, occupying about three acres of ground. The fairs, of which there are two annually, are held in the market-place, and consist of that heterogeneous mixture of business and pleasure which are often found in fairs. This market is a kind of joint-stock property, of which the mayor of Plymouth is an officer as clerk of the market. In the immediate vicinity of Plymouth are the two small towns of Saltram and Plympton, which are reached by a new line of road over Lara Bridge, which crosses the river Plym. "Lara" is the name of a lake-like expanse near the mouth of the Plym. There used to be a communication across by means of a ferry, established by the Earl of Morley, the proprietor of a large amount of property near Plymouth. It was proposed, about seventeen years ago, to build a suspension-bridge here; but various circumstances prevented it; and ultimately an elegant bridge of five arches was constructed by Mr. J. M. Rendel of Ply |