among the peers, and several among commoners of large landed estates, approached these in amount; but none came up to them, according to the official returns. Remarking that I found it difficult to arrive at the precise extent of the poor rates, from the published accounts, I asked their amount. He said, that in some counties, as Sussex for instance, they were as high as eight shillings in the pound; and that they probably amounted to about eight millions sterling for all England. We spoke again of the army of England; he said that the whole expense of keeping it up at present, (one hundred thousand men,) was about eight millions sterlingall military pensions included; and added, that it was about as much in pounds sterling, as the expense of keeping up the army of the United States (ten thousand men at that time,) was in dollars. This he explained in part, as formerly, by mentioning the very great preponderance of artillery in our army, on a peace establishment, relative numbers considered. He remarked that our navy was also much more expensive than the British, which he ascribed to our having the best of every thing in it. This was said with his usual courtesy ; though I suppose another, and probably a stronger, cause to be, that we have not yet arrived at the true practice of economy-one of the last attainments

of experience and skill in armies and navies, when united with comfort and efficiency. Some of the battles of the Peninsula were touched upon; the Duke of Wellington sat opposite to us, and it was remarked, how fortunate it had been for England that he was not sent to America, after the peace of Paris in 1814. I inferred, that there had been an intention of sending over the Duke to command in the war against the United States; and I afterwards heard, more distinctly, that this measure was in contemplation.

After dinner, I had conversation with the Spanish ambassador, and the Neapolitan minister. With the former, it was limited to ordinary civilities. The latter said handsome things of Mr. Adams's letter to Mr. Erving, and seemed anxious to learn if England had taken any serious exception to the proceedings of our army in Florida, and the execution of the two British subjects. I said that she had not. Then said he, "the newspapers may go on to bark; they bark dreadfully in England, but the ministers don't mind them."

CHAPTER II.

THE OLD BAILEY, GUILDHALL, AND DOCTOR'S COMOPINION DELIVERED BY SIR WILLIAM SCOTT,

MONS

JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT OF ADMIRALTY.

February 22. Went to the Old Bailey. Nothing of much consequence was before the court. A prisoner was on trial for an assault with intent to kill.

Immediately facing the dock where the witnesses stand, I observed the following inscriptions, printed conspicuously in panel work on the wall.

"A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish."-Psalms.

"Ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God."-Psalms. "If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong, then thou shalt do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother."-Deuteronomy xix. 16th and 17th

verses.

I went next to Guildhall, where the courts of king's bench and common pleas hold their sittings for the trial of issues; but neither happened to be in session. Over the outside door of the building was the inscription, "DOMINE DIRIGE NOS."

In the great hall, stand monuments to the Earl of Chatham, Mr. Pitt, and Lord Nelson. A remarkable portion of the description on the first, has been noticed in the 16th chapter of the former volume of this work. That on the monument of Mr. Pitt, concludes with these words: viz., "HE DISPENSED FOR TWENTY YEARS THE FAVOURS OF THE crown, lived WITHOUT OSTENTATION, AND DIED POOR." I next took a bird's eye view of three of the Inns of court, Barnard's Inn, the inner Temple and middle Temple, so associated with sages and ornaments of the law; made short visits to the Custom House, the Royal Exchange, and Stock Exchange, and to Lord Nelson's tomb at St. Paul's, all which the guide books describe better than I could, and hastened home to receive a party engaged to dine at my house on this anniversary of Washington's birth-day. It was composed of members of the diplomatic corps, and several of my countrymen in London; also Mr. John Penn, of Spring Garden, descendant of the founder of Pennsylvania. We had the toast belonging to the day; and what enlightened man of any

nation can fail to do homage to the great name of Washington?

At 12 at night, when our guests had left us, we went to a party at the Marchioness of Salisbury's, Arlington Street; and afterwards to a masquerade at the opera. At the latter, we were in dominoes, as lookers-on at a scene-new to us in Europe.

February 26. Went to Doctors Commons in the hope of seeing Sir William Scott upon the bench, and was not disappointed. I had read the most of his decisions, and had the high opinion of his talents common to all. A salvage case was before the

court.

The counsel were Sir Christopher Robinson, Dr. Lushington, Dr. Bernaby and Dr. Dodd, each of whom spoke. In delivering his opinion Sir William Scott dwelt upon the merit of the salvors, and ended with a decree that one-twentieth of the cargo should be awarded to them.

There is a precision and elegance in the recorded opinions of this celebrated judge of the high court of admiralty in England, which induced the Marquis of Lansdowne, when Lord Henry Petty, once to say of them in the House of Commons, that they might be studied as models of classic style, apart from their learning and ability. I had, therefore,