SOME

Mr. URBAN, Jan. 1. OMERSET HOUSE is now only remembered by name. That onceextenfive building has given place to a fill prouder ftructure, which in its turn fhall be "driven from the face of the earth, and the fpot whereon-it, ftood fhall know it no more."

There are many who recollect the venerable afpect of the court way from the Strand, as well as the dark and winding fteps which led down to the garden, for years fuffered to run to decay, and where the antient and lofty trees fpread a melancholy afpe&t over the neglected boundary, by no means unpleafing to the vifitor, who, in a few moments, could turn from noife and tumult to ftilinefs and repofe.

The view annexed (Plate 1.) reprefents the inner front of Somerset Houfe; which, at the time the drawing was made, was all that remained of that once magnificent palace. The fheerings of lead on which the prefent pavement is laid; the watch-box; the wooden way to the remains of the old building, with part of the front, arched entrance, fcaffolding, and progrefs of the new; are here exactly delineated, and form a view not lefs curious than interefting.

Somerfet Houfe was built by the afpiring but impolitic uncle of the Sixth Edward, during that king's minority. Hume thus fpeaks of the unfortunate Somerfet, when his power was in its wane:

"The great estate which he had fuddenly acquired, at the expence of the Church and the Crown, rendered him obnoxious; and the palace which he was building in the Strand ferved, by its magnificence, and fill more by other circumftances which attended it, to expose him to the cenfure of the publick. The parishchurch of St. Mary, with three bishops houses, were pulled down, in order to furnish ground and materials for this ftructure. Not content with that facrilege, an attempt was made to demolish St. Marga ret's, Westminster, and to employ the ftones to the fame purpose; but the parishioners role in a tumult, and chafed away the Protector's tradefmen.

"He then laid his hands on a chapel in St. Paul's church-yard, with a cloifter and charnel-houfe belonging to it; and thefe edifices, together with a church of St. John of Jerufalem, were made use of to raife

See this Month's Review, p. 49. GENT. MAG. January, 1798,

his palace. What rendered the matter mere odious to the people was, that the tombs and other monum nts of the dead were defaced; and the bones, being carried away, were buried in unconfecrated ground." Hift. of England, ch. XXXV.

The downfall of Somerfet was haftened by the crafty and vindictive Northumberland. The same elegant writer fays,

"Care had been taken by Northumberland's emiffaries to prepoffefs the young king against his uncle; and, left he should relent, no accefs was given to any of Somerset's friends; and the prince was kept from reflexion by a continued series of occupations and amusements. At last the prifoner was brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill, amidst great crowds of spectators, who bore him fuch fincere kindness, that they entertained to the last moment the fond hopes of his pardon. Many of them rushed in, to dip their handkerchiefs in his blood, which they long preferved as a precious relique; and fome of them, foon after, when Northumberland met with a fimilar doom, upbraided him with his cruelty, and difplayed to him those symbols of his crime. Somerfet, indeed, though many actions of his life were exceptionable, feems in general to have merited a better fate; and the faults which he committed were owing to weakness, not to any bad intention." Ch. XXXV.

SOMERSET fell in the year 1552.
Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

M. R.

Jan. 2.

vault,

vault, whether it should be finally c'ofed, whether the awful remains of mortality are decently guarded, the cofio is crammed in, and the whole is forgotten. His more grateful anceftors have, perhaps, raifed many a fair tomb to the founders of the family; but the parfimony of the prefent nobleman will not fpare from his abundant wealth even a fmall pittance as a tribute of gratitude to a kind and a virtuous pa rent. I believe, I am not far from the truth when I affert, that there are not 20 Peers, to the fathers or grandfathers of whom any memorial is erected.

Independent of the piety of fuch actions, there is more utility in monumental fculpture than at firft may be apprehended. Encouragement and fupport are given to the induftrious Statuary. Our churches are properly decorated by the le labours; and, from attention to the cemetery, we should be led to that of the Chancel, or Chapel, now ufed for thofe purpofes; the floors and windows would be carefully amended; the old braffes and tombs of your anceftors would be carefully pre. ferved; and very many Churches, now. mean and neglected, would draw the notice of the Traveller, while they - became the pride of the Villager, and his conftant refort. May I live to fee the abolition of Pluralities, a conftant refident Clergy, and the Churches more decent and commodious! Such a change would be an honour to our - Country, and an infinite fervice to the caufe of Religion.

A Lover of the old Order of Things.

ESSAYS ON THE PROVINCIAL
HALF-PENNIES.

IT has been a fource of fatisfaction to me, Mr. Urban, in obferving the encouragement you have given to a correfpondence on the fubject of the modern provincial half-pennies, coins, medals, tokens, or political jettons, under whatever of thefe denominations the caprice of various writers may clafs them; and that feveral ingenious papers have confequently appeared in your very valuable and extenfive Mifcellany. It is chiefly for the purpofe of collating new remarks and information, and of re-animating the fpirit of that correfpondence, that I have prefumed to folicit the infertion of this effay, and, at the fame time, of thofe which I fhall hereafter tranfmit to you,

on this truly interefting, and certainly not unimportant, top ck. C. SH.

ESSAY I.

On the Use and Amusement of collecting the Provincial Half-pennies.

Though controverfy carried on with a determined oppofition, which at once militates againft moderation and free enquiry, is always pernicious, I am aware that argument, when ably fupported, and maintained with liberality and candour, is always productive of folid information and ingenious obfervation, in proportion as it exercifes the mental faculties, and ftimulates refearch. On thefe confiderations, my Effays will be open to impartial examinacion; and, though not pretending to much depth of penetration, may be the more acceptable, as coming from one who has bestowed much ftudious application on the fubject, and who is defirous of promoting its dignity and importance. In my fecond Effay, the hiftory of the modern provincial halfpennies will be traced from their firft origin to the beginning of the prefent year, 1798; in the third, it is propofed to examine the various publications on provincial coins; in the fourth, to confider the beft plan for a lift, and for arranging the cabinet; and, in the fubfequent Effays, to treat of the coins themielves.

But, before I attempt to execute my propofed plan, it may be proper to confider its nature; and whether the fubject on which I am about to write is really worthy attention, ufeful, and advantageous. This I am the more prompt to do, on account of the iiberal ftigmas that are fometimes thrown on the provincial coinage." No one thou'd engage in a study that is not of advantage to the publick. Are the numifmatic ftudies of any importance? Will they ever prove beneficial to the nation, or even to individuals? Your coins are very ingenious, and perhaps very well executed; and your affiduity and enthufiafm are undoubtedly great. But of what ufe is all this?" To a man of fuch a phlegmatic difpofition, and of fuch fhallow reafoning, what anfwer would you give? Would you endeavour to confute him with his own laconifm, or fupport your opinion with a regular difquifition ?-Are the Belles-lettres, then, of no importance? Is polite literature of fuch little confequence What then! You will allow

the

the ingenuity of our fpecimens, but you doubt of the excellence of their execution? How callous is your heart! You cannot perceive the utility of coins, not even when they are productive of happiness. Are we ever to be inveftigating the profound, without enjoying the leaft recreation; particularly when that recreation tends to promote the inteft of the nation, in giving encouragement to artifts? Are painting and printing of no use? And yet these are to be encouraged, while the dignity of our coioage, certainly more useful becaufe more durable, is almoft totally neglected.

Does any one fay, that the provincial coinage has not been useful to any individual? Certainly he hazards an affertion that he is ill-prepared to fupport, an affertion that can only arife through indifference, and can be cherished only by ignorance. For, nothing can be more true, than that the promiffory tokens, payable by particular parties, would not have been coined unless it were to anfver fome private purpofe.-The labourers in a large mine, in that of the Paris mountain in the island of Anglefea, for inftance, come to their employers for the payment of their wages; these em. ployers offer to pay them in the current copper coin of the kingdom; but the miners object to this, knowing the value of the copper, and refufing to be paid with bad ha f-pence, which, owing to the impofition and the fraud of private individuals, have of late years been but too generally diffufed over the country: the directors, therefore, finding themfelves much embarraffed, iffue half-pence, or tokens, of their own, of equal intrinfic and extrinfic value; thefe, meeting with a general and indifputable circulation, communicated the hint to the proprietors of various manufactories, who found it useful in obviating a great inconvenience, and being at the fame time peculiarly advantageous. The pureft of these ferved equally as figns and standards of computation, as each of them paffed for a half-penny, and alfo poffeffed the ftandard value of a half-penny; and thefe are what the intelligent Mr. Colquhoun, in his "Treatile on the Police of the Metropolis," recommends as proper for currency, and the fan&tion of Governiment. Mr. Pinkerton's coin, the Ba

fingstoke canal piece, is a mere fign, paffing for a fhilling, but being intrin fically fcarcely worth one half-penny; this may have been useful to the proprietor, but all figns are effentially defe&tive. Provincial coins have at leaft been useful in producing a new national copper coinage-But thefe are facts fcarcely deferving of mention, when we reflect on the more important ufe of coins and medals.

The study of history is pfeful; it abounds with information and amufement; and, to be well acquainted with the reality of hiftory, it is neceffary that we should have authentic docu

ments. The events of remote ages, and thofe that have marked the hiftory of the prefent times, the greateft characters of every age and of every nation, every thing that is interesting to the mind of man, and useful for his inftruction, deserve to be recorded. It will be important to the prefent fubject to confider in what manner thefe are to be preferved from oblivion, and what are the most permanent memorials that may be invented. The antient Egyptians, defirous of recording remarkable tranfactions and events of importance to their history as a nation, first made ufe of hieroglyphicks; and their rude fculpture ferved to portray, though very myfteriously, the manners of the times. But thefe have long fince mouldered away, and vanifhed into nothing. The monumental ftatue, and the afpiring pyramid that proudly overlooked the waters of the Nile, the lofty columus of Sefoftris, the celebrated bridge of Darius, the unrivalled architecture of the Greeks, the temples, the altars, and the theatres, of the Romans; thefe, with all their boafted grandeur, with all the celebrity and fkill of the artists, and the vanity of applauding nations, thefe have decayed in filent obfcurity, and are no longer in existence. "Some felt the filent ftroke of mouldering