I had often heard of the British Museum, as who has not? and it was one of the great objects of interest which I had expected to see in London. It is open only on the alternate days of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I sacredly set apart one half day of my short visit for its examination, but how was I surprised to find that this was scarcely sufficient time to walk deliberately through it, without the examination of a single curiosity. Much as I had anticipated, my highest expectations were greatly exceeded. Room succeeded room in almost endless succession, all filled with valuable curiosities. In the basement are the great stone slabs, pillars, images, &c., all elaborately carved, brought home from Nineveh by the indefatigable Mr. Layard. These are placed in the basement, as they are of such prodigious weight that it would not be safe to keep them anywhere else. Above, on the first floor, is a large collection of mummies and mummy cases, or sarcophagi. The latter are hewn out of immense blocks of stone, and are most exquisitely carved. In another room is a great collection of heathen gods. Other apartments contain casts of Roman and Grecian sculpture. A great many rooms are filled with

stuffed animals, preserved fishes, insects, &c. The costly vases form an attractive part of the curiosities. The collection of shells, minerals, and petrefactions seem to be almost endless. In addition to all these is a print room, and a medal room, The two last can only be seen by a few persons at once, and by particular permission. The entire museum, with these exceptions, is free to all who wish to go through it.

This great public institution originated with the will of Sir Hans Sloane, who had, during a long practice as a physician, accumulated, in addition to a considerable library of books and manuscripts, the largest collection of specimens of natural history, and of works of art, of his time. These he bequeathed to Parliament at his decease in 1753. Since that period, constant additions have been made, until around the nucleus thus furnished by the bequest of a single individual, has gradually been gathered, in less than a hundred years, the greatest public museum in the world. The present building, which is of the Grecian order, is still unfinished, and will be, when completed, one of the most imposing edifices in London.

10

The Cower,

ST. PAUL'S, AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

"The Tower! the Tower!

There, where the captive's breath
Had sighed itself in bitterness away,
Where iron nerves had withered one by one,
And the sick eye, shut from the glorious sun,
Hath grop'd o'er these grim walls till idiocy
Made life like death."

THE Tower of London is the finest relic of the past in Britain; there is no other building so replete with historical associations. It is said that

the first words of Daniel Webster, on his setting foot in London, were, "Drive me to the Tower." It has been, in turn, a prison, a palace, and a fortress, and sometimes all at once. Its history extends so far into the past, that it is difficult to ascertain at what time it was built. Some ascribe it to Julius Cæsar, but it is more generally believed to have been the work of William the Conqueror. In 1215 King John conquered London, but the garrison of the Tower refused to surrender till he had signed the Magna Charta.

It has been the place of confinement of more great men than any other prison in the world. "He was committed to the Tower," has been Isaid of thousands both of the innocent and the guilty. The history of the Tower would involve the history of England. Its ancient walls are associated with more sin, suffering, and sorrow, than any other structure in Great Britain. It stands on the banks of the Thames, upon an eminence, and a gateway, now built up, once led from the inner court directly down to the water's edge. It was through this gate that prisoners were usually brought in, after having come up or down the Thames. To prevent confusion, persons are admitted to the interior of the Tower by ticket, and a warder accompanies every party of ten or twelve, to point out the objects of interest. What is now the court, was once "Tower Hill," where Lady Jane Grey and her husband, and many others, were executed.

In the Horse Armory, as it is called, there is ranged a series of equestrian figures, all clad in the armor of the periods which they represent, from Edward I., in 1272, to James II., in 1685. The room is one hundred and twenty-six feet in

length; and as these figures are ranged in a line, they appear like a series of knights conjured up from their respective places of sepulture, some having slept longer, and others shorter periods in the grave, all ready to do battle with a common enemy. By a passage formed in the wall, which is sixteen feet in thickness, we ascended into the White Tower, the oldest part of the building. It was here that the State prisoners were kept. I was shown the room where Sir Walter Raleigh was confined. Higher up is the one that was occupied by Lady Jane Grey. Only one or two of the rooms are shown, the others being used for government purposes.

The Crown and Jewels are in a building erected for the purpose, called "The Jewel House," which is also within the limits of the Tower, and of course protected by the garrison. These emblems: of British royalty are surrounded by a grating of strong iron bars, and two soldiers accompany every party of twelve, not more than twelve being allowed to enter at one time. They consist of the ancient imperial crown, which was made for Charles II., to replace the one said to have been worn by Edward the Confessor, and which was broken up and sold