Messrs. Clayton and Bell were selected by the general committee to submit a design for the window, which was approved, and ordered; and after its completion the committee passed a resolution expressing their "thanks to Messrs. Clayton and Bell for the very liberal conditions under which they have supplied the glass for the window which now decorates the Cathedral." The architect's fee has been most generously given by Mr. Waller to the Children's Hospital, through the treasurer of that institution. Since the publication of the fifth list of subscriptions a sum of £20 has been received from "Old Friends;" but I shall be forgiven for stating that such subscription is from Messrs. Clayton and Bell. As the correspondence respecting this memorial has passed almost entirely through my hands, I am tempted to impress upon those for whom I have acted as hon. secretary, the very deep esteem in which Mr. Gambier Parry was held by "all sorts and conditions of men;" but his works do follow him. The memorial brass is the work of Messrs. Barkentin and Kraal, Regent-street, London. E. DOUGLAS TINLING, Canon Residentiary and Hon. Sec. 1882. THE OLD POST OFFICES, BRISTOL.-In "S's" interesting article on the Post-office, which appeared recently [October, 1889] in the Times and Mirror, it is stated that "it is not known where the Post-office of 1771 was situated, but it is known that the business of the office was removed from Small-street to Corn-street in the year 1748." Perhaps it may be worth mentioning that the removal in 1748 was to the basement floor of the house on the west side of the Exchange, then newly erected. Mr. Thomas Pyne was the first postmaster who occupied the house in question, which was originally designed by the Corporation for the purpose to which it was then appropriated. It is now the Old Post-office chambers. In Rocque's large four-sheet plan of Bristol, published in 1743, the old office in Small-street has the words "Post House" over it. The Assize-courts are built on its site. There was a Post-office in Bristol as early as 1671 (Broadmead Records, 1847, p. 126), but where it was situated does not appear to be known. The house which Henry Pyne, deputy-postmaster, built in All Saints'-lane, in 1700, "for the conveniency of a postoffice," was taken down in 1738 or 1739, and the business of the office removed to Small-street. In the Calendar of State Papers, under the year 1660, there is a complaint against one "Teig, an anabaptist, former postmaster of Bristol, who broke open letters directed to the King's friends." This is the earliest mention of a Bristol postmaster that I have met with. WILLIAM GEORGE. 1883.-" EXTERNAL CHURCH WORK" IN THE DIOCESE DURING 1889. The recent annual report on "Diocesan Progress," addressed by the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol to the clergy and laity of the diocese, opens with this satisfactory information :-The external Church work is probably somewhat above the level of the preceding year. As all well know, Church restorations are becoming fewer year by year. Nearly all our work in this particular has now been completed. Since I have been with you fully 310 churches have been re-opened, after thorough restoration; and, as the good work had been going on for several years prior to my coming, it is obvious that in this portion of Church work but little remains to be done. Improvements, however, and additions, and supplementary restora tions, are steadily going on, as the following list, including, as it also does, three or four larger restorations, will abundantly testify. The list begins with the small but interesting church of Condicote,* which, after a thorough restoration, due in very great measure to the liberality of E. T. Godman, Esq., of Banksfee, Moreton, was opened early in January. About the same time the addition of handsome transepts to St. Mark's Church, Cheltenham, was commemorated by an opening service. In the same month some good work was completed at St. Silas', Bristol; and, on the last day of the month, a handsome reredos was dedicated at St. Mary's-de-Crypt, Gloucester. A few days later, Olveston Church was opened after a thorough interior restoration. On February 8, a considerable portion of the new church at Eastville, near Bristol, was completed by the munificent help of Sir George Edwards, and consecrated This was soon followed by the handsome restoration of the chancel and other parts of the church of Stanton St. Quintin, the liberal offering of the present rector, Canon Buckley. In May, the new aisle of St. Saviour's, Woolcott Park [Bristol], was opened; and in the following month, by the munificent gift of Mrs. Strangways, the church of Bentham was completed, endowed, and consecrated. In August, the mission chapel of St. Catherine, Knowle, was opened. In the following month, the ancient church of Bagendon was opened after a satisfactory internal restoration. Soon afterwards the interesting and historic chapel of St. Mark, better known as the Mayor's Chapel, Bristol, was opened after a complete and costly restoration, due in a large measure to the energy of the present mayor, Sir C. Wathen, and to his bounty, and that of other citizens of Bristol. In November, the very difficult restoration of the nave and other portions of the church at Pucklechurch was completed; and, towards the end of the month, the thorough and much-needed interior restoration of the church of Upton St. Leonard's. To this list may be added the restoration of the pinnacles, and other costly work, connected with the noble tower of Thornbury Churcht; much handsome work in Nettleton Church, including two * See ante, p. 316. windows, a beautiful reredos, another bell, and good interior work, both in the chancel and nave-the whole due to the liberality of the present rector, Rev. F. T. Woodman; good work and decorations in Whitminster Church, including three windows, and two additional bells and a tower-clock-all memorial gifts of the vicar, Rev. F. B. Teesdale, and his family; and lastly, a handsome reredos, pulpit, and other work at St. Philip's and St. James's, Leckhampton. I am glad also here to mention the erection of mission-rooms at Frenchay, All Saints', Cheltenham, and St. James', Gloucester; of a fine parish hall at St. Mary's Redcliffe, and of a spacious mission chapel in the parish of Holy Trinity, Stroud. This list, which I fear is by no means complete, must certainly also include mention of the costly enlargement and re-construction of the organ of Gloucester Cathedral, the gilding of the reredos, the splendid altar-cloth, the lectern, and other noble gifts. The decorations of the reredos at Cirencester may also be mentioned; the memorial windows at St. Mary's, Cheltenham; the new vestry at St. Catherine's, Gloucester; the chancel decorations at Lydney, and the dedication of bells at Newnham, and at Watermoor. I fear that I shall find I have omitted other particulars of work done in the diocese which I shall feel vexed to have left unnoticed. I must plead, however, the difficulty of collecting these details; and will again ask for a short account, towards the end of each year, of any external or internal work that may have been done in any of our churches in the course of the year. A cutting from a local newspaper will always be very thankfully received. 1884. THE EFFIGY OF KING EDWARD II. IN GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.-The effigy of this unfortunate monarch lies under a magnificent canopy; it is of alabaster and in high relief; crowned, and holding an orb in his left, and a sceptre in his right hand. The face appears to be intended to be his portrait; the drapery is simple in its lines and well composed, the head rests upon a pillow supported by two angels, and his feet on a lion. The whole was originally coloured, and the empty sockets in the regal coronet show it was once richly set with gems and jewels, long since abstracted, with the cross from the top of the orb. His son and successor, Edward III., raised the tomb to his memory, and it is one of the finest examples of monumental work of that period remaining in the kingdom. The effigy has by its dignity, simplicity of form, and excellence of finish, led many of our historians and writers upon art (whose authority and judgment in these matters few will venture to dispute) to attribute the execution of the work to a foreigner. But having great doubts in my mind upon these suppositions, I have been overlooking the effigy, and my opinion is that it is the handiwork of a native artificer, and one not only well-skilled in sculpture, but also in the execution of the peculiar decorative ornament of that period, so ably rendered in the carved enrichment around the coronet and head of the sceptre; which work in stone shows as plainly as possible that it is English, and in a style unknown to a foreigner. Also the lion has the usual appearance in it, as given by our artificers at this time; but the foreigner would have given it the classic form. And I may also add that all the works of foreigners executed at this early period are in violent contrast to our own; quite unmistakeably so, and entirely out of character with the noble buildings they to this time exist in, as may be seen under Beckett's crown in Canterbury Cathedral, in the pavement there, which is of mosaic work, and known to us as "opus Alexandrinum," in which is laid a specimen of the old Florentine mosaic, or Cavoro di Comesso." In Westminster Abbey we have the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the altar tomb of Henry III.; those of his children and grandchildren; also a little monument to the son of William de Valence, all being in marble work, inlaid with Italian mosaics, that upon the shrines and tombs being called "opus Grecanicum," and that on the pavements before the shrine and tomb of Henry III., opus Alexandrinum." The dates of these works are 1268-95. Walpole supposed the mosaics to have been done by Pietro Cavallini, but Walpole must have been mistaken. Cavallini was born within ten years of the above dates, and it cannot be found that he ever was in England, or ever left Italy. We, however, have some of his works in England, which are exactly in the style of the above, in white marble panels, twisted columns, etc.; all inlaid with mosaics, and once forming a splendid shrine to the martyrs Simplicius and Faustina, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore at Rome, but removed some years since, on making a new pavement in the church. Sir William Hamilton, being then envoy to Naples, purchased it, and sent it to Mr. Walpole, who erected a chapel at Strawberry Hill on purpose to receive it. After the dispersion of Walpole's collections it came into the possession of the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, afterwards Lord Herbert of Lea, and I fitted it up for him in the magnificent Byzantine church he built at Wiltou, near Salisbury. I have said this to endeavour to show the nature of work done by Italians in this country. At a later date we have in Henry VII.'s Chapel, the tomb of himself and his queen, which is the work of an Italian, Pietro Torregiano, and in the style known as "Renaissance,” and equally at variance with our style. The effigy of Henry III. Walpole supposed to have been the the first brass effigy cast in England, and on his authority also, Pietro Cavallini is said to have been the artificer of the king's tomb and effigy. But he is mistaken. We have had artificers whose works remain to this day unrivalled for dignity and originality of design, so much so, that even our eminent men who have attempted to reproduce their style, have fallen very short of the examples our early artificers have left to us; and as regards the history of the arts in this kingdom, I think we should endeavour to preserve the names of all we can connected with this city, and not seem anxious to give the credit of our best works to foreigners. Therefore from a long list of English artificers, I give some names which are an honour to "old Gloucester," and are mentioned in the records of this kingdom, being as follows:-Claus. 39 Henry III., Johannes de Gloucestre is styled in this precept "cementario suo," and is granted a freedom for life from all tallage and tolls throughout the realm. Claus. 43 Henry III., m. 10, "Mandatum est magistro Johanni de Glou., cementario suo," and from this precept we gather the nature of his services, which show that this John de Gloucester is directed to make five statues of kings, in freestone, to be given by the king to the church of St. Martin in London. Then we find that the caster of the brass effigy of Henry III.'s infant daughter, Catherine, was William de Gloucester. It also appears from the records in the Tower that there is the king's order for allowing Master Simon de Wells five marks and a half to defray his expenses in bringing from the city a certain brass image to set upon the tomb of his daughter Catherine, and for paying to Simon de Gloucester, the king's goldsmith, seventy marks for a silver image for the like purpose. These matters do not seem to have been noticed by any of our chroniclers at least I have not been able to find them in any history we have of Gloucester Cathedral or the city. One of our best writers, Mr. Albert Hartshorne, in his "Observations upon certain Monumental Effigies in the West of England," says that the actual tomb of Edward II. has never been made the object of so-called "historic doubts." Be this as it may, the poor remains of this foully murdered king were respected and allowed to rest in peace by the stern Puritans in the time of the Commonwealth. GEO. ARMSTRONG HOWITT. 1885.-DESTRUCTION OF HASLEDEN, OR HAZELTON, TITHE BARN BY FIRE.—The tithe farm at Hazelton Farm, in the parishes of Cherington and Rodmarton, belonging to the Misses George, of Cherington Park, has been destroyed by fire, which is stated to have raged for exactly a fortnight. At the end of that time the two gables, 90 feet high, and of enormous thickness, and side walls 124 feet in length, alone remained to indicate the size of the fine old barn, which was the largest in Gloucestershire. And a very small portion of the timber was saved from among the ruins. The rafters were of Spanish chestnut, some of which were beautifully moulded and carved. The beams and principals were of oak. Rudder (p. 633) says that within the east porch was an inscription to this effect:-"This was built in the year of our Lord 1290, and in the 19th year of Henry the abbat." The stone thus inscribed was found among the ruins. The estimated loss after the fire was £1,500; fortunately, however, the barn and sheds were insured in |