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St. John, ancestor of lord Bolingbroke, whose father sold them to the father of the present earl Spencer, now lord of the manor of Patricksea. Henry St. John viscount Bolingbroke, died here in 1751. The family seat was a venerable structure, which contained forty rooms on a floor; the greatest part of the house was pulled down in 1778. On the site of the demolished part, are erected an horizontal air mill, and malt distillery. The part left standing forms a dwelling house; one of the parlours, fronting the Thames, is lined with cedar, beautifully inlaid, and was the favourite study of Pope, the scene of many a literary conversation between him and his friend Bolingbroke. The mill, now used for grinding malt for the distillery, was built for the grinding of linseed. The design was taken from that of another, on a smaller scale, constructed at Margate. Its height, from the foundation, is one hundred and forty feet; the diameter of the conical part fifty-four feet at the base, and forty-five at the top. The outer part consists of ninety-six shutters, eighty feet high, and nine inches broad, which, by the pulling of a rope, open and shut in the manner of Venetian blinds. In the inside, the main shaft of the mill is the centre of a large circle formed by the sails, which consist of ninety-six double planks, placed perpendicularly, and of the same height as the planks that form the shutters. The wind rushing through the openings of these shutters, acts with great power upon the sails, and, when it blows fresh, turns the mill with prodigious rapidity; but this may be moderated, in an instant, by lessening the apertures between the shutters; which is effected, like the entire stopping of the mill, as before observed, by the pulling of a rope. In this mill are six pair of stones, to which two pair more may be added. On the site of the garden and terrace, have been erected extensive bullock houses, capable of holding six hundred and fifty bullocks, fed with the grains from the distillery, mixed with meal.

In the cast end of the church (which was very neatly rebuilt a few years ago) is a window, in which are three porVOL.V. No. 118. 3 E

traits;

traits; the first that of Margaret Beauchamp, ancestor (by her first husband, Sir Oliver St. John) of the St. Johns, and (by her second husband, John Beaufort, duke of Somerset) grandmother to Henry VII.; the second, the portrait of that monarch; and the third, that of queen Elizabeth, which is placed here, because her grandfather, Thomas Boleyn, earl of Wiltshire (father of queen Anne Boleyn) was great grandfather of Anne, the daughter of Sir Thomas Leighton, and wife of Sir John St. John, the first baronet of the family. In this church is a monument, by Roubiliac, to the memory of viscount Bolingbroke, and his second wife, a niece of Madame de Maintenon. A panegyrical epitaph mentions his "zeal to maintain the liberty, and restore the ancient prosperity of Great Britain."

Another monument, to the memory of Sir Edward Winter, an East India captain in the reign of Charles II. relates, that being attacked in the woods by a tyger, he placed himself on the side of a pond, and, when the tyger flew at him, he caught him in his arms, fell back, with him into the water, got upon him, and kept him down till he had drowned him. This adventure, as well as another wonderful exploit, is vouched for by the following lines:

Alone, unarm'd, a tyger he oppress'd,

And crush'd to death the monster of a beast;
Thrice twenty mounted Moors he overthrew,
Singly on foot, some wounded, some he slew;

Disperst the rest: What more could Sampson do?

A third monument, of exquisite workmanship, executed by Messrs. Coade, has much attracted and gratified the curiosity of numbers. The design is marked with peculiar taste and simplicity, like the church itself, and represents a vestal, about four feet six inches high, the right arm em. bracing an urn ornamented with the heads of cherubs, and leaning on a triangular pedestal, the left hand gently touching the same, and exhibiting fingers of singular beauty.

The figure and pedestal are placed upon a semicircular bracket, with an oval space for a medallion left vacant, and suspended

suspended by a ribbon. On the plinth are the arms and crest, engraved on metal, richly gilt, and let into the stone, which bears the following inscription:

To the memory of JOHN CAMDEN, Esq. who died the 17th of October, 1780, aged LVII. and of his eldest daughter ELIZABETH, wife of JAMES NEILD, of St. James's Street, London; who, imitating her father's virtues, and amiable in her own innocence and beauty, died the xxxth of June, 1791, in her 36th year.

Tho' low in earth, her beauteous frame decay'd,
My faithful wife, my lov'd Eliza's laid;
Graceful with ease, of sentiments refin'd,

Her pleasing form inclos'd the purest mind.
Round her, blest Peace, thy constant vigils keep,
And guard, fair Innocence, her sacred sleep;
Till the last trump shall wake th' exulting clay
To bloom and triumph in eternal day.

Conjux mærens posuit.

Battersea has been long famous for the finest asparagus. Here Sir Walter St. John founded a free school for twenty boys; and here is a bridge over the Thames to Chelsea.

Battersea Bridge was built by act of parliament, and divided into shares of 100l. each, during the present reign.

About six miles south-east of Battersea, is a hamlet belonging to it called PENGE, which pays tithes, and all parliamentary and parochial taxes to Battersea, except poor's rates, maintaining their own. The inhabitants of Battersea claim common of pasture on Penge Common, with the right of cutting furze and brushwood.

The road from Battersea to Clapham, and Lambeth, is spacious, and in good repair; hence to Westminster, Blackfriars, and London Bridges, concludes the route through the county of Surrey.

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BERKSHIRE.

A very small portion of this and the adjoining counties of of Buckingham and Bedford, and Wilts, coming under our inspection, we shall not be diffuse in our general description of those districts. Consequently we shall observe that the south-eastern side of Berkshire, was occupied by the antient BIBROCI. In the Saxon Chronicle it affumed the name of BERROCKSHIRE, from BoxwOOD; and has ultimately been denominated Barkshire, or Berkshire.

That part we are about to describe partakes mostly of woodland and forest; and towards the county of Surrey it is composed of heath and desart. The soil, however, is generally fruitful, though the eastern part, occupied by Windsor Forest, contains much uncultivated ground. "The forest of Windsor, Maidenhead Thicket, and the numerous commons in all directions, in their present wild and uncultivated state, are of little benefit to the community." Berkshire possesses very few manufactures, except clothing; agriculture.feems to prevail. It is watered by the rivers Thames, Kennet, Lamborn, Ock, and Loddon. The county is in the diocese of Salisbury, and the Oxford circuit; it sends nine members to parliament, pays eleven parts of the land-tax, and supplies the national militia with five hundred and sixty men. Berkshire may, however, be justly accounted one of the most pleasant counties in England.

We enter Berkshire from the county of Surrey, and have no particular attractions of curiosity, till we arrive at

•NEW WINDSOR *.

This town is pleasantly situated at the distance of twentytwo miles from London; and gained the name of WINDSOR from

So called to distinguish it from Old Windsor, a village at two miles distance," which, in Domesday Book, is said to have consisted of one hundred houses, twenty-two of which were exempted from taxes. Previously to the Conquest, this place is reported to have formed a strong pass, and to have been the residence of several Saxon kings; but from the

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