Hereford cathedral is a cruciform edifice, the great tower rising from the intersection. It was formerly surmounted by a spire, which has, however, been taken down. The western tower | fell down in 1786. The event is thus recorded in a periodical of that time: "Hereford, April 20, 1786.-About nine days ago a small part of the stone-work of the inside roof under the west tower of the cathedral church in this city fell, | and continued frequently so to do till Monday afternoon, between six and seven o'clock, at which time all that beautiful and magnificent structure fell down, and with it part of the body of the church. No person has received any hurt, nor has any damage been done to any of the buildings near it, except the music room, which it has considerably injured. There was a great number of people in the church-yard, it being a remarkably fine day. This tower, which is now a heap of rubbish, has been deemed by most of the antiquarians to be as beautiful and magnificent a piece of building as any in the kingdom. The height of it was 125 ft." The west end was rebuilt from the designs of Mr. James Wyatt, in a style which Mr. Britton condemns in no measured terms.

The nave, of Norman architecture, is separated from the aisles by massive circular columns and arches. The north transept presents a rich specimen of the early English, with large deco

rated windows. The choir is Norman, intermixed with early English. The episcopal throne, and the fifty stalls for the members of the cathedral, are surmounted by ornamented canopies of tabernacle work. A copy, by Leeming, of the celebrated painting of the Saviour bearing the cross, in Magdalene college chapel, Oxford, was, in 1816, erected over the communion table. The east window, 40 feet high and 20 wide, represents the Lord's supper; the figures, painted by Mr. Backler from West's celebrated picture, are 15 feet in height. Eastward of the choir is the Lady chapel, in the early English style. It is now used as a library, which calls forth Mr. Britton's animadversion; and beneath is the crypt, termed Golgotha. There are some beautiful chapels in the later style of English architecture. The chapter room is an ancient part of the edifice, and contains a very old map of the world, referred to the age of Henry III., esteemed a very great curiosity. Of the old chapter house a very small portion remains :

The length of the cathedral, from east to west, is.....

Length of the great transept from north to south ....

Height from the pavement to the vaulting

Height of the central tower

325ft.

140

91

244

The cathedral contains many monuments to the memory of various bishops and others, of which the most ancient is that of bishop Walter. The sepulchral memorials of several have been destroyed, and others much injured. When the

parliamentary soldiers occupied the city, in 1645, a hundred and seventy brasses were removed and several monuments defaced, but marks of them still remain. Many brasses were likewise displaced when the cathedral underwent repairs, after the fall of the west end in 1786; Mr. Britton says no less than two tons weight. There is a noble monument of Dr. Tyler, Bishop of Llandaff, and dean of Hereford; and another of Sir R. Pembridge, knight of the garter, in the reign of Edward III. The tomb of bishop Cantelupe is also here, who died August 25, 1282, travelling to or from Rome, to obtain the cooperation of the pope against Gilbert Clare, earl of Gloucester, and John Peckham, archbishop of Canterbury, with both of whom he was at variance: he was seized with illness at Civita Vecchia, in Italy. His heart was brought to Hereford, and buried in the cathedral. He was canonized in 1310. The tomb, now mutilated, is curiously adorned with effigies. It was a place of great repute for the miraculous powers it possessed; four hundred and twenty-five miracles, according to the legend, having been wrought at it. It was the resort of pilgrims from all quarters. In consequence of the great notoriety of the saint, the bishops of Hereford relinquished their ancient arms, which were those of St. Ethelbert, and adopted those of Cantelupe, viz., Gu. three leopards' heads jessant, with a fleur-de-lis issuing from the mouth, or.

The bishop's palace is an ancient building at the west of the cathedral, containing several elegant rooms, with a fine garden, and grounds attached. The deanery is near the church, and four houses adjacent are appropriated to the residentiaries.

the officers of the cathedral were a dean, five Previous to the recent ecclesiastical changes, residentiaries, a chancellor of the church, precentor, treasurer, two archdeacons, prelector, twenty-three prebendaries, the college of vicars consisting of twelve members. The diocese comprehends the county of Hereford. The bishop's income, calculated at 25167., is fixed at 42007. In 1837, the diocese comprehended 360 churches and chapels, 346 parishes.

The college, where the vicars choral reside, is a brick building of the time of Edward IV. It stands east of the cathedral, with which it communicates by a cloister, leading to the south end of the eastern transept. It contains a chapel, hall, dining-room, and dormitories. In 1820 some incendiary set fire to the college, but the flames were extinguished before they had made much progress. The beams, where the fire commenced, had been saturated with spirit of turpentine; and a quantity of brushwood, straw, and matches were laid, to add fury to the flames. Two respectable gentlemen were imprisoned on suspicion of being engaged in the affair, but were discharged as perfectly innocent. Similar attempts were made at different times-the incendiary was never discovered.

Younger sisters are considered to be very unfortunately situated in society: elder sisters, in my opinion, are much more so; and instead of enjoying the consolation of the world's sympathy, they are invariably visited by its aspersions. Even the fairy lore which constitutes the favourite study of our childhood constantly represents elder sisters as envious and tyrannical beings. Cinderella's elder sisters degrade and mortify her; the elder sisters of Beauty are not even to be conciliated by her bounty and kindness, when she returns to them laden with the riches of the munificent Beast; and in the story of Diamonds and Toads, the ill-treated younger sister receives from the disguised fairy the power (which excites the envy of all poetical temperaments) of dropping flowers or jewels from her mouth at every word she utters, while the termagant elder sister is punished by the obligation (from which even the severest of critical censors would shrink) of embodying her malicious thoughts by the circulating medium of vipers and toads. Novelists and dramatists also delight in the reprobation of elder sisters. How odious is the elder sister of Clarissa Harlowe! How does the vulgarity of the shrewish Miss Sterling in the Clandestine Marriage contrast with the meekness and refinement of her sweet younger sister Fanny! The French writers likewise commonly introduce in their tales and dramatic pieces an elder sister, who not only domineers over her younger ones, but gains so undue an ascendancy over her parents, that no offer is to be accepted for the junior branches, till the Princess Royal of the family is provided for in the matrimonial market.

Having now shown my antiquarian research (which I believe is the most approved method of beginning a story), I will proceed to inform my readers that it was many years before I found out the disadvantages of being an elder sister; for I was an only daughter for so long a period, that neither my parents, the world, nor myself believed that I should ever have a rival near the throne. I was the sole object of undivided and doating affection to my father and mother; I

was pretty and clever, and although I might have enjoyed the privilege of being idle if I pleased, I was naturally eager to acquire knowledge, and very fond of the accomplished and amiable governess who had been procured for me. When I was sixteen years old, the excellencies of my governess were discovered by another person besides myself; she received an eligible offer, and left me to be married. My mother was somewhat discomposed by this circumstance; it had been a rule in her family that all the young ladies in it were introduced into society at eighteen she did not wish to antedate this period, neither did she like the idea that my improvement should be suspended for two years, when I ought to be imbibing a large additional quantity of arts and sciences, wherewith to astonish the world which I was hereafter to enter. My ex-governess settled the difficulty; she had a married sister, who received a small number of young ladies at a healthful watering place; she thought it would be very beneficial to me if I passed with her the time which was to elapse before my introduction. All parties were pleased with this suggestion, and much as my parents lamented the necessity of separating from me, they delighted themselves with the idea of seeing me return with new accomplishments and improved bloom. My only source of uneasiness was that I fancied my mother had for some time looked very ill: I mentioned the circumstance privately to my father, and he hastily turned the conversation. I then imparted my fears to an amie de famille; she smiled, and with a look of peculiar meaning, told me "not to make myself uneasy, for that my mother would be sure to grow well again in good time."

A few months after my arrival at Mrs. Burnett's establishment, I was summoned to attend her in the drawing-room, and she told me that she had some intelligence to communicate to me, in so mournful a tone, that my fancy immediately conjured up an express from home, sent to summon me to the death-bed of my mother.

"Tell me the worst, I implore you; is my mother in danger?" I exclaimed.

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