made a state prison of it; it was here his prisoner, King John of France, was confined, and where after many years of captivity he breathed his last. It was burnt and entirely destroyed by Wat Tyler and his rebels (1381). It does not appear to have been rebuilt till 1505, when it was endowed by Henry VII. as an hospital, for the relief of 100 poor people. The sick and wounded in the Dutch war of 1666, were lodged here; and George I. turned it into a place of confinement for debtors. The ancient chapel of this once royal palace, which, contrary to ecclesiastical usage, stands north and south, has been restored, and its ceiling decorated by the munificence of Prince Albert,

ST. JAMES'S PALACE.

This antiquated building was commenced in the reign of Henry VII., and finished in that of Henry VIII. It derives its name from St. James's Hospital, which formerly stood here, and which gave a cognomen to the adjacent street, as well as the diplomatic appellation of the Court of St. James's. One day, after Peter the Great had visited the magnificent hospital of Greenwich, he went to St. James's Palace to dine with King William. That prince asked him how he liked Greenwich Hospital? Extremely well, Sir," replied the Czar, "and, if I were permitted to advise your majesty, I should recommend to you to remove your Court thither, and convert your palace into an hospital."

SHADWELL.

This parish, which is one of the Tower Hamlets, has the name of Shadwell from a fine fountain, or well, which issues from under the wall of the churchyard, and which was originally dedicated to St. Chad.

STEPNEY.

It appears from Domesday Book that Stepney, in the Conqueror's time, was a manor belonging to the Bishop of London, by the appellation of Stebenhede, a Saxon compound, implying Steben's Heath.

TOWER ROYAL.

Here stood a strong and magnificent mansion, now a paltry and disreputable street. King Stephen resided therein, as did afterwards king Richard II. and his mother; at which time it was indifferently called the Royal, or Queen's Wardrobe.

TEMPLE BAR.

Before the present gate was built, there was a bar or barrier of posts and chains, which separated the Strand from Fleet Street, and which, from its vicinity to the Temple, received the name of Temple Bar.

THEOBALD'S ROAD.

Theobald's Road, so called because it was the road by which James I. travelled to Theobald's House, in Hertfordshire, where he expired, strongly suspected of being poisoned. Theobald's House was pulled down, 1765.

THROGMORTON STREET.

This street was named after Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, who is said to have been poisoned by Dudley, Earl of Leicester, queen Elizabeth's favourite. There is a monument to his memory in the church of St. Catharine Cree.

THREADNEEDLE STREET.

So denominated, because those who resided here were principally Tailors. The Tailors' Company also built their Hall here, now called Merchant Tailors' Hall.

TOOLEY STREET.

This street derives its name from an eminent wharfinger of the name of Tuley, who had a considerable property in this neighbourhood.

TOKENHOUSE YARD.

Prior to the reign of William and Mary, in which reign the Bank of England was first established, or incorporated, the government of the country had at different periods, for the facility of the commerce thereof, found it expedient to issue Tokens, not dissimilar to our recent Bank and Provincial Tokens. The place of issue was from this locality, and was called the Token House, and from which circumstance we derive the term of Tokenhouse Yard,

TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD.

As Theobald's Road was so called, because it was the road by which king James I. went to his palace at Theobalds, in Herts, so Tottenham Court Road, because it was the road by which the queen's majesty travelled to her palace at Tottenham Court, near Tottenham.

TYBURN.

Tyburn was formerly the place of execution for criminals convicted in the county of Middlesex. It existed as early as the reign of Henry IV., and derives its name from Tyburn Brook, formerly called Aye-brook, or Eyebrook, afterwards St-Mary-le

Bourne (St. Mary on the Brook), now corrupted into Marylebone, or Marybone.

WATLING STREET.

The etymology of the name of this street has sufficiently exercised the ingenuity of our learned antiquaries. Perhaps the most natural solution is that given in the Gentleman's Magazine, February, 1796, where the writer derives it from the ancient British words gwaith, work, and len, legion; from which, gwaithlen, i.e., legion-work, came, he supposes, the modern Watling. Dr. Jamieson quotes Douglas and Henryson, that Watling Street denotes the Milky Way. "It has received," says he, "this designation, in the same manner as it was called by the Romans Via Lactea, from its fancied resemblance to a broad street, or causeway, being as it were paved with stars."

WALBROOK.

This street derives its name from a stream so called, says Stow, "of running through and from the wall of the city." It has long been arched over and built on, so that its course is now hardly known.

WARWICK LANE.

Warwick Lane, Newgate Street, derives its name from a house belonging to the famous Earl of Warwick, afterwards called Warwick Inn.

WHITECHAPEL.

This locality derives its name from a convent of White Nuns (i. e., nuns who wore a white dress) that formerly stood here, and which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the suppression of the monasteries, a chapel remained there for many years, and which, coupled with the former circumstance, gave the locality its present name. In the centre of the market is a little dirty alley, called Harrow Alley. In this place, above 190 years ago, dwelt that prince of wits, and excellent man, Daniel Defoe: here he wrote that much read and excellent moral work, Robinson Crusoe, and here he wrote a memorable melancholy History of the Plague, of which he was an eyewitness.

WALWORTH.

This suburb (for it is now nothing more) was originally a Manor in Surrey. It is written "Walerode" in the Conqueror's Survey, and Walworth's Fields in the charter of Edward VI., granting the manor of Southwark to the City of London.

IRISH SOCIETY OF THE CORPORATION OF LONDON.

It is a curious fact, not generally known, that in the reign of James I. (1607), the greater part of six counties in the province of Ulster became vested in the crown, by an act of attainder of Shane O'Neil and other persons of dictinction, who had rebelled

against the state; and soon afterwards a project was suggested to the king, for establishing a Protestant colony on the forfeited estates, which was considered in council, approved, and published. In the year 1609, his majesty conceiving the City of London to be the body best able to undertake so important a work, made propositions for that purpose, which were considered at a conference held on the 30th of July, between the Earl of Salisbury, Lord High Treasurer, and the Lord Mayor, with some of the leading citizens: and after some further negotiation, articles of agreement were at length entered into, on the 28th of January, 1610, between the Lords of Council on behalf of the King, and the committees appointed by act of Common Council, on behalf of the Lord Mayor and Commonalty of the City of London, concerning a plantation in part of the province of Ulster. In pursuance of this agreement, the Corporation of London, with the assistance of the twelve principal companies, commenced the fulfilment of the conditions on their part; and having made great progress, the king, in the year 1613, granted a charter, by which a certain number of the citizens of London (all members of the Common Council, as their successors are at this day), were put in possession of the forfeited estates, and were ordained and constituted one body, corporate and politic, who should be called by the name of "The Society of the Governor and Assistants of London, of the New Plantation of Ulster" (now commonly called the Irish Society). Soon after obtaining the charter, all the lands granted by it were divided, by persons appointed for that service, into thirteen parts; of which one, consisting of the city of Londonderry,* the town of Coleraine, &c., was retained by the governor and assistants; and one of the other twelve was assigned to each of the twelve companies who had assisted the corporation in the undertaking. The authority for this proceeding, was a license granted by the king for that purpose. In the reign of Charles I., the citizens having offended the king, the charter was in a most arbitrary manner annulled and cancelled by the Court of Chancery, but it was restored by Charles II.; and it is by this renewed charter, and renewed grants from the Irish Society, that the Twelve Companies hold.-Sturch's Pamphlet on the Condition of Ireland.

ROYAL ACADEMY.

An attempt had been made in 1759, to form an association of artists, and an exhibition of works of art, when a society was formed, and met in St. Martin's Lane, under the name of an Academy, and in the following year they had their first exhibition, under the sanction of the Society of Arts. The first effort was promising, and after a few exhibitions they were incorporated under the title of "The Society of Artists of Great Britain."

* Prior to this period it was called Derry.

The combination of a body of painters with a society embracing manufactures and commerce was not permanent; and three years after, i. e., 1769, the "Royal Academy" was established, and was so called in consequence of George III. being its founder. The Academy was constituted December 10, 1768, opened its first exhibition in Somerset House, May 1780, but removed from Somerset House, and opened its first exhibition in Trafalgar Square, May 1838.

SCOTS CORPORATION.

The origin of this corporation, says Maitland, is owing to James Kinnier, a Scotsman, and merchant of this city; who, after a long and dangerous illness, determined to give part of his estate toward the relief of the aged and necessitous poor of his own country, within the cities of London and Westminster. To which end, and for the more effectually settling what he intended to give for that purpose, he was advised by counsel to apply for a charter. This was granted in the reign of James I., and thus originated the "Scots Corporation.”

CHARITY FOR THE RELIEF OF POOR WIDOWS AND SONS OF THE
CLERGY.

By his majesty's (Charles II.) charter, bearing date 1st July, 1678, a body politic and corporate was constituted by the name of "The Governors of the Charity for the Relief of Poor Widows and Children of Clergymen," with license to possess any estate, not exceeding the value of £2000. Afterwards, upon the accession of Dr. Thomas Turner's gift, which amounted to about £18,000, the governors (December 16, 1714) obtained an augmentation of the said grant, by a license to possess the yearly value of £3000, over and above all charges and reprises; as also over and above the said £2000 per annum.

THE WILSONIAN FUND.

This useful fund originated from one Samuel Wilson of London, who bequeathed £20,000 to be lent out in small sums to industrious tradesmen. He died 1771.

THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

All arts and sciences began to revive and flourish at the Restoration, and the English tongue was exceedingly improved and refined. The "Royal Society" was established in 1663, by the King's Letters-Patent, for the improvement of philosophy, mathematics, physic, and all useful knowledge; of which the first promoters and members were Dr. Ward, Mr. Boyle, Lord Brounker, Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Wallis, Sir William Petty, Dr. Goddard, Dr. Willis, Dr. Bathurst, Sir Christopher Wren, and Mr. Rook.