of the city, its course was necessarily subjected to various changes and obstructions, till it found a downward channel in the direction of the street which now bears its name, and at length payed its humble tribute likewise to the mighty Thames, at Dowgate. Having been for ages past arched over, and covered, the whole length of its progress, with magnificent edifices, the pride and glory of London, its present current is no longer perceptible.

Lang, or Long-bourne, (burn) took its rise at the eastern extremity of Fenchurch-street, most probably from the source which still supplies the noted pump at Aldgate, and ran rapidly in a western direction through Fen-church and part of Lombard-street, passed into Sher-bourne-lane, at the south-west extremity of the church of St. Mary Woolnorth, and, having watered Stock's market, the ground of which is now occupied by the Mansion-house, fell in different rills into Wall-brook, and tumbled, in an united stream, down Dowgate-hill, into the Thames. These two lastmentioned rivulets, in process of time, gave their name to two of the wards of this great city: for nature is the parent of etymology, as well as of more important sciences.

Besides these brooks, London, with its suburbs, was in ancient times provided with sweet water from various fountains and wells, many of which to this day furnish their limpid tribute to a transient generation. Holy-well was a clear, cool, and copious spring, to which a superstitious age ascribed not only a common, or even medicinal, but, as the name imports, a miraculous virtue. The well is now choaked up, and covered with a mountain of rubbish, which still, however, retains the ancient appellation. It is situated towards the northern extremity of London, in the vicinity of Shore-ditch. But there was another of the same name, which still exists, under the denomination of St. Clement's, and still is kept in remembrance by the street called Holywell, which runs behind St. Clement's Church westward, in a parallel with the Strand. The Clerk's-well, or Clerkenwell, gives name to a considerable suburb of the metropolis, noted as the seat of several well known edifices, sacred to religion, mercy, and justice. This spring issued from the declivity of the green, and received its distinctive appellation from being the annual resort of the parish clerks of the city, for the purpose of exhibiting dramatic representations of the historical parts of Scripture, which were once in such high repute, that the nobility, the magistrates of London, and the most reputable citizens, flocked thither as spectators. Two adjoining springs, Bagnigge and Sadler's-wells, have obtained celebrity from their being, for ages, the scene of vulgar dissipation and amusement.

On the outside of Cripple-gate, there was formerly a large pool, fed from a neighbouring fountain, which gave occasion to frequent accidents, till it was at length absorbed of the common sewer. The well is still preserved as a public benefit, and is known by the name of Crowder's-well, on the north-west side of St. Giles's church-yard.

y 2

The

The celebrated springs of St. Agnes-le-Clair, between the ancient manor of Finsbury and the village of Hoxton, are now become private property, and collected into an excellent cold bath, which is considerably frequented, from supposed medicinal qualities: and, not to multiply particulars, a little to the westward rose a copious spring, whose overflowings formed a capacious bason, which, from the multiplicity of fatal accidents befalling thoughtless youth, in making aukward attempts to swim, obtained the name of the Perilous Pond. It is now enclosed within a beauti ful shrubbery, and formed into a most complete cold and pleasure bath; and, instead of a source of danger and death, is converted into a fountain of innocent amusement, of health and safety, under the appropriate denomination of Peerless Pool. Adjoining is a large piece of water, well stocked with fish, for the amusement of the subscribers to the bath.

"I'LL HAVE YOU BEFORE HIS HONOR."

From Castle Rack-Rent.

BY MISS EDGWORTH.

"I'LL have the law of you, so I will!"—is the saying of an Englishman, who expects justice. "I'll have you before his honor," is the threat of an Irishman, who hopes for partiality. Miserable is the life of a justice of the peace in Ireland the day after a fair, especially if he resides near a small town. The mul titude of the kilt (kilt does not mean killed, but hurt) and wounded, who come before his honor with black eyes or bloody heads, is astonishing: but more astonishing is the number of those, who, though they are scarcely able by daily labour to procure daily food, will nevertheless, without the least reluctance, waste six or seven hours of the day lounging in the yard or hall of a justice of the peace, waiting to make some complaint about-nothing. It is impossible to convince them, that time is money. They do not set any value upon their own time, and they think that others estimate their's at less than nothing. Hence they make no scruple of telling a justice of the peace a story of an hour long about a tester (sixpence): and if he grows impatient, they attribute it to some secret prejudice, which he entertains against them.

Their method is to get a story completely by heart, and to tell it, as they call it, out of the face, that is, from the beginning to the end, without interruption.

Well, my good friend, I have seen you lounging about these three hours in the yard; what is your business?"

"Please your honor, it is what I want to speak one word to your honour."

"Speak then, but be quick-What is the matter?" "The matter, please your honor, is nothing at-all-at-all, only just about the grazing of a horse, please your honor, that this man here sold me at the fair of Gurtishannon last Shrove fair, which

lay

lay down three times with myself, please your honor, and kilt me; not to be telling your honor of how, no later back than yesterday night, he lay down in the house there within, and all the childer standing round, and it was God's mercy he did not fall a'-top of them, or into the fire to burn himself. So please your honor, today I took him back to this man, which owned him, and after a great deal to do I got the mare again I swopped (exchanged) him for; but he won't pay the grazing of the horse for the time I had him, though he promised to pay the grazing in case the horse didn't answer; and he never did a day's work, good or bad, please your honor, all the time he was with me, and I had the doctor to him five times, any how. And so, please your honor, it is what I expect your honor will stand my friend, for I'd sooner come to your honor for justice than to any other in all Ireland. And so I brought him here before your honor, and expect your honor will make him pay me the grazing, or tell me, can I process him for it at the next assizes, please your honor?"

The defendant now, turning a quid of tobacco with his tongue into some secret cavern in his mouth, begins his defence, with

"Please your honor, under favor, and saving your honor's presence, there's not a word of truth in all this man has been saying from beginning to end, upon my conscience, and I wouldn't for the value of the horse itself, grazing and all, be after telling your honor a lie. For please your honor, I have a dependance upon your honor that you'll do me justice, and not be listening to him or the like of him. Please your honor, it's what he has brought me before your honor, because he had a spite against me about some oats I sold your honor, which he was jealous of, and a shawl his wife got at my shister's shop there without, and never paid for; so I offered to set the shawl against the grazing, and give him a receipt in full of all demands, but he wouldn't out of spite, please your honor; so he brought me before your honor, expecting your honor was mad with me for cutting down the tree in the horse-park, which was none of my doing, please your honor-ill luck to them that went and belied me to your honor behind my back!-So if your honor is pleasing, I'll tell you the whole truth about the horse that he swopped against my mare, out of the face. Last Shrove fair I met this man, Jemmy Duffy, please your honor, just at the corner of the road, where the bridge is broke down, that your honor is to have the presentment for this year— long life to you for it!-And he was at that time coming from the fair of Gurtishannon, and I the same way. "How are you,

Jemmy?" says I.-"Very well, I thank ye kindly, Bryan," says he; shall we turn back to Paddy Salmon's and take a naggin of whiskey to our better acquaintance?"-"I don't care if I do, Jemmy," says I; "only it is what I can't take the whiskey, because I'm under an oath against it for a month." Ever since, please your honor, the day your honor met me on the road, and observed to me I could hardly stand I had taken so much-though upon my conscience your honor wronged me greatly that same

time

time-ill luck to them that belied me behind my back to your honor!-Well, please your honor, as I was telling you, as he was taking the whiskey, and we talking of one thing or t'other, he makes me an offer to swop his mare that he couldn't sell at the fair of Gurtishannon, because no-body would be troubled with the beast, please your honor, against my horse, and to oblige him I took the mare-sorrow take her! and him along with her!She kicked me a new car, that was worth three pounds ten, to tatters the first time ever I put her into it, and I expect your honor will make him pay me the price of the car, any how, before I pay the grazing, which I've no right to pay at-all-at-all, only to oblige him. But I leave it all to your honor-and the whole grazing he ought to be charging for the beast is but two and eightpence halfpenny, any how, please your honor. So I'll abide by what your honor says, good or bad. I'll leave it all to your

honor."

I'll leave it all to your honor-literally means, I'll leave all the trouble to your honor.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF THE METROPOLIS.

MR. EDITOR,

IN former letters I have endeavoured to criticise such of the public edifices of London as have not been the subjects of much literary remark. As these letters were not the result of system, but owed their appearance merely to occasional observation, and to your civility, I may possibly be indulged in wandering a little from existing to intended edifices; or from what are strictly called public buildings, to such as are public, chiefly from their external importance.

A remarkable circumstance in the disposition of the western part of the metropolis, is the great number of its squares. But their general characteristic is far from being majestic. A strange want of uniformity in the elevation is, in most instances, at open war with the regularity of the ground plot; which, however it may evince the sacred tenure of private property, is of no material detriment to public grandeur. The gardens, which are generally embosomed within these areas, have formed a subject of critical dispute. An intelligent author, who wrote more than twenty years ago, upon the improvements of that period, unequivocally condemns the "Rus in Urbe," as a deviation from propriety and good taste; and supports his opinion by the classic aid of ancient custom. But, admitting this principle, I do not see why even private gardens, when situated within a town, may not be included in the general interdict. What difference is there between a public and a private paterre, except in the degree of retirement? If we have a greater number of public places than is sufficient for general purposes, why should not some of them assume the more

pleasing

pleasing form of gardens? And, indeed, the universal preference given to them, as places of residence, seems to confirm the propriety of the custom. But one of the obvious uses of squares is sadly overlooked. Here public monuments should be erected. And this would not materially interfere with the pleasures of the promenade. Would it not be a much more tasteful, and a nobler way of celebrating illustrious exploits, (such, for instance, as the battles of the Nile, and of Aboukir) to lay out our money upon the erection of monuments, in our principal squares, than upon the frivolous profusion of a fète? Imagine, for a moment, the bright succession of ideas, suggested by the constantly recurring effigies of our statesmen and heroes, in these continually repeated openings. A walk round certain quarters of this city would be a new thing. It would be infinitely more delightful to a patriot Briton, than the inspection of a gallery of ancient sculpture. It would call up the finest recollections of cultivated minds; and impress upon the vulgar, those feelings best suited to promote the national interest and glory. I cannot check myself in anticipating what wealth and patriotism may yet atchieve.

Here I am naturally led to what occupied a part of my last letter, towards its close. I mean the proposed naval monument. Few persons have I met with who agree as to the spot best adapted for its site. When the idea of such an edifice was first started, Portsdown-hill was to be the favoured place: since which, Greenwich seems to have obtained a decided preference. Indeed, a situation in the vicinity of the capital seems necessary for a national object. The glory of our marine is the glory of the whole nation. The public sense of that glory should be declared and promulgated in the most public and impressive manner. This monument will be viewed, not only by more Britons, and by more foreigners, but even by more seamen, upon a convenient spot in or near London, than at any inferior sea-port. Out of the metropolis, the most eligible situation is Greenwich-hill; though, if the rendering it an object, to be seen a great way off, be of importance, the preference must be given to Shooter's-hill. Placed there, it would be seen along the course of the river, from Sheerness to Windsor, and from six counties at least. On Greenwichhill, however, a more glorious variety of objects might be brought together: the city of London, with its river, docks, and basons, crowded with vessels of every description; the surrounding country; the magnificent asylum of the aged mariner; and on the eminence, the signal of national gratitude and naval triumph. But I do not exactly fall in with their opinion, who imagine that. the beautiful appearance of the hospital from the river, or the opposite shore, would be increased. Whatever it might add to the picturesque, it would, from its colossal proportions, take from the beauty which causes the northern aspect of that elegant assemblage of buildings to be so generally admired.

After all, why not raise this monument in the capital? But where? I shall mention a situation which I have not heard re

commended.