tions and denominations. It lies on the river Avon, over which a bridge, consisting of several arches, is thrown; the city is not remarkable for beauty of architecture, nor are the streets spacious and airy, it has a dingy smoky hue, probably arising from its manufactures. We crossed the bridge, on which stood an old soldier with a wooden leg, who "shouldered his crutch," and came to a present as the stage passed, with his hat on the ground, ready to receive alms of passengers. Old soldiers are not frequently seen begging; hospitals are numerous, both for soldiers and seamen ; and these assylums in misfortune, produce a consolation which remedy the evil of frequent wars. Bristol contains many quakers of wealth and enterprise; and in one of the churches there is a monument of sir Richard Penn, father to our good William Penn, which no American will see without interest. There are said to be 90,000 inhabitants in Bristol, it has five or six well endowed hospitals, several colleges and free schools, and a very extensive pin manufactory. We remained no longer in this city than was sufficient to see the place; denying ourselves the pleasure of visiting the hot wells, which are only a mile from town, in consequence of being pressed for time, but more particularly in being but twelve miles from Bath, for which place we took a post chaise and reached to dine.

Bath is celebrated for its antiquity; the Romans were accustomed to its waters, and it has ever since been a fashionable resort, not only to invalids, but to the healthy and gay. Before Brighton, Margate, and other watering places, contiguous to the metropolis, were generally visited, Bath was the most fashionable winter residence. It is one of the most beautiful cities in England, and is built on the declivity of a bill; the old town, was originally constructed in the valley; it is surrounded with hills on all sides, with an entrance from the east and west, full of picturesque views

and cultivated scenery. The soft flowing Avon" pursues

its course towards Bristol. Much pains and expense have been bestowed on this city; the houses are constructed of freestone; quarries are found in the neighbourhood of this soft and porous stone, which the weather tempers, and with which a magnificent pile of buildings, called the Crescent and Circus is erected. The houses are three stories high, built with a uniformity of plan and adorned with columns, partly of the Corin

thian, Doric and Ionick orders. It has three entrances, and the houses are used pirncipally for boarders. A reservoir of water is in the centre of the area, which supplies the city. We alighted at the White Hart near the old White Lion, two inns celebrated in so many novels and adventures, that American readers are familiar with their names. The accommodations in these Inns, are of a very superior order; active waiters, rooms neat, some splendidly furnished, beds of down, sheets aired in lavender, &c. Our table was profusely supplied, and the cost, taking every thing into consideration, was moderate. We arrived at Bath at an unseasonable period. Winter is the harvest, when all the invalids, gouty old men, and hypochondriacal women assemble to drink the waters, when young ladies amuse themselves with the walks, the pump, and ball rooms, and lounge at the library and gardens. At present we saw but few persons who wore the air of strangers; and I observed some rheumatic patients wheeled about on the pavements in small cars, led by servants. We strolled into the pump rooms, and thought

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of beau Nash, long the master of ceremonies at this head quarters of fashion his place, however, is supplied, by a gentleman who is regularly elected. Sidney Gardens, which are at the extremity of a noble walk, are neatly laid out, and appeared to be much frequented, as we there met several well dressed and elegant looking women. There is not much bustle in Bath, nor much business; it. may be said that it prospers literally by the indisposition of strangers, and relies on the medicinal qualities of the waters for encouragement and support the Romans visited this city for the same object, and some of their baths have been lately discovered. There is a noble hospital erected for the reception of the sick and lame from all parts of the Kingdom; the climate however, is moist and damp.

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We left Bath the next morning in the mail for London, the distance to which was 107 miles. The country was beautifully diversified with villas, cottages, lawns, shrubberies and pine trees, and all wearing the appearance of gaiety and comfort; peasants passed us smiling and healthy; broad wheel waggons heavily laden, moved slowly over the fine and level roads; post-chaise, stages, the tops of the latter overloaded with passengers, passed us in quick succession. We found two old ladies were our only companions; they talked of America, deprecated the war, made some inquiries respecting re

lations which they had in Savannah ; how close after all, they said, is the affinity between the two nations; a war does appear unnatural, but the British ministry should have thought of that.

We arrived at Salt Hill to tea, and passed Windsor Castle at a distance, on which a flag was displayed. A guard with two enormous horse pistols deposited in his coat pockets, mounted behind the coach as we turned on Hounslow heath; this is a dreary moor of several miles in length, and the gloom of which was heightened by the approach of night, and in no manner allayed by the account of numerous robberies and murders committed, which our companions kindly, with a view of raising our spirits, recapitulated to us. We entered the suburbs of London; the lamps were just lighted, and they served as a contrast to the gloom, heightened as it was by a dense atmostphere, and a dingy smoky hue, which obscured every thing. The coach drove rapidly through Hyde Park down Oxfordstreet, which is wide and elegant; we passed by Charing Cross, (where a figure on horseback is placed on a pedestal, which we already knew to be that of king Charles,) up the Strand, and turned quickly into a narrow court way, where we alighted and found ourselves at the Angel Inn, behind St. Clement's church; Laus Deo. We arrived safe after the perils of the ocean, and though not exactly in the city where we desired and expected to be; still we were here, and philosophy must aid us in our disappointment, and curiosity entice us in a thousand winning ways to see every thing worthy of observation in this great metropolis. I slept but indifferently the first night, as a strange place is not calculated for slumber; but in London, a variety of noises from watchmen and nocturnal ramblers, who sleep by day and prowl by night, are not calculated to bring repose: "thoughts and remembrances" united to disturb me, recollections of the past, and anticipations of the future, kept me awake until dawn. I arose early, and sallied out of the Court-yard of the Inn; St. Clement's Church was before me, a neat design by Sir Christopher Wren, and built of free-stone, with a portico supported by ionick columns, and a beautiful steeple of extraordinary height. The good people were just stirring, shops were opening and the milk-man and baker taking their diurnal rounds. It was necessary to obtain lodgings, and after a meager breakfast which did not vary during my stay in London, we set out for Adamstreet, Adelphi, where we had been recommended by a naval officer, and where agreeable lodgings were obtained at a moderate

price. Our landlady recommended the precaution of reporting our selves without delay at the Alien-office, and gave us a direction for that purpose; this ceremony could not be evaded. Much has been said respecting the vigilance of the London police; and if relating to internal concerns of the city, the detection of thieves and other criminals, it may be said to have acquired a just reputation; but the police in reference to foreign relations, in the detection of foreign agents, and the variety of political plans which are organized in London, is far behind the police of Paris or Vienna.But this may be accounted for, by the insular situation of Great Britain, which though contiguous to the continent, has nevertheless a barrier in the channel, which, if well guarded, is after all the best kind of police. The British have suffered eminently in their interest by knowing too much of affairs on the continent, and feeling a disposition to mingle their voice and efforts in wars, not called for by expediency, or demanded on the score of interest. Had the policy of the British cabinet been generally of a more pacific nature, in the great continental struggles, they would not at this day have had so many commercial rivals; or awakened the attention of European potentates to the importance and necessity of encouraging their own manufactures.

We were civilly treated at the Alien-office, and did not appear to be known our names were entered in a book and we were desired to report ourselves at the office, once in a fortnight. This was very well, considering we were at war, and I called on Mr. Beasly, the American agent for prisoners, and who had been left in charge of American affairs generally, to ascertain what the intentions of the British government were in relation to us.

The duty of reporting ourselves being performed, my agreeable friend and fellow voyager suggested the necessity of apportioning our time to the best advantage. "We may be ordered to leave the country shortly," said he, therefore let us see all that is most worthy of being seen. How then am I to describe London? what objects are considered the most instructive and the most curious? to which place shall I first bend my steps? These were questions which suggested themselves by the novelty of our situation; our time and presence were controlled by the Government, and we finally determined to see every thing interesting in this overpopulated metropolis, to which accident may direct us, and we set out with this determination upon

our peregrinations, not forgetting those legendary objects of curiosity "time out of mind," the King, the Tower, the Lions, and the Monument. On our return from the Alien-office to our lodgings in the Adelphi, we entered, without special invitation, into the Academy of useful arts, manufactures and commerce. This Society, certainly is of the greatest importance in advancing and patronising useful inventions, was instituted in the year 1753; the rooms are neither spacious, nor are the specimens of inventions so numerous as we had reason to believe. However, we saw several ingenious models, particularly one of an artificial arm and hand, which was so constructed by springs, as to perform every natural function; an invention, which in the reign of Mars and Bellona, was certainly useful and necessary; and doubtless, many an honest hearted Briton, returning from the peninsula, found occasion for wooden arms and legs, for which Ferdinand the 7th never contemplated payment, either in gratitude or something more tangible. The room, in which the Society hold their meetings, is ornamented with a variety of allegorical paintings, in Barry's best style, and they evince that force of execution and brilliancy of colouring, so remarkable in the works of that distinguished artist; he was, nevertheless, frequently on the verge of starving, and, if I am not in error, he solicited permission to adorn that room gratuitously, as a specimen of his abilities. The Adelphi is a neat and elegant row of buildings, with a noble terrace in front, having a full view of Westminster, the bridges, and in fact of almost every conspicuous object that the range of the eye can take in. Mrs. Garrick was our neighbour; an old looking chariot with a superannuated coachman, was frequently before her door. The sight of the chariot and old coachman, which, in all probability, had frequently conveyed David Garrick to Drury Lane Theatre, could not fail to awaken recollections of the singular age of talent in which he lived: he was, probably, the only instance in the corps dramatique, of an actor, combining every histrionic quality and attainment, with a powerful imagination, a neat satiric pen, an unexceptionable character, and an independence in mind and fortune. His literary associ ates, were men who will never cease to be dear to learning and science; Johnson, Goldsmith, Burke, Baretti, Boswell and other worthies who have shed a lustre on their country.

We proceeded to view Westminster Abbey: the depository of all that was great in arms, in arts, and in science. The weather was