CHAPTER CXXXIII. EUROPE continued.Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1. THE united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland comprises England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The first three of which form the island of Great Britain, which is separated on the south from France by the British Channel, and on the east from Belgium, Holland, and Germany, by the German Ocean, or North Sea. On the west it is divided from Ireland by St. George's Channel.

2. These two islands are small in extent, but they contain upwards of twenty-five millions of inhabitants. Besides this, the country has colonies in various parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, so that the sovereign rules over about one hundred and fifty millions of people, and Great Britain may thus be considered the richest and most powerful kingdom on the face of the globe.

3. London is the largest and finest city in Europe, and contains nearly two million of inhabitants; it is situated on the river Thames, across which there are four handsome stone bridges, and two iron ones. London has no wall around it like Paris, Berlin, and most large cities on the Continent, but it is encircled by a beautiful country, dotted with villages, villas, and country-seats.

4. London seems like a world of itself; you might walk about for a year, and go into some new street every day. In some parts of the city there are such streams of people, that it always seems like a fair. The shops are filled with beautiful things, and the streets are crowded with coaches and carriages of all sorts.

5. London being the residence of the court, contains two royal palaces. That of St. James's is an old building, altogether destitute of external beauty or grandeur, but internally well adapted to the pomp and circumstance of a court. A new palace, with greater pretensions to beauty, was commenced building by George the Fourth, on the

site of Buckingham House, and is hence called Buckingham Palace. That king died before its completion; and although the finishing and furnishing of it was proceeded

with during the reign of William the Fourth, it remained unoccupied until the accession of our present Queen Victoria, who took up her residence there a few months after she came to the crown.

6. London is also the seat of government; and not far from the royal residence are the two houses of Parliament. These were never remarkable for architectural beauty, but in the year 1834 they were almost wholly destroyed by fire. At present the buildings are only fitted up in a temporary manner, until new and splendid edifices, worthy of being places for the reception of the legislature of this great nation, can be erected. The works are commenced, and a very few years will suffice for their completion.

7. But the pride and glory of the western portion of London, wherein the palaces and the parliament houses are situated, is Westminster Abbey. This fine old gothic edifice abounds in architectural details of the most rich and beautiful description, too numerous and extensive to be described in this little book; but all young persons who have the opportunity of visiting it, and inspecting its venerable contents, should by no means omit doing so. In this Abbey the sovereigns of Great Britain are crowned, and within its walls are buried many of its monarchs. It abounds too in splendid monuments to the memory of the great, the wise, and the good, among their subjects, during

several centuries.

8. Westminster Hall, another building of high antiquity, is situated in the immediate neighbourhood of the Abbey. In this hall the grand banquet on the coronation of our sovereign takes place, and within the immediate precincts of the hall are the chief courts of law.

9. As in the western part of London are situated, in addition to the royal palaces and houses of Parliament, the various offices belonging to the government, so in the eastern are the principal establishments connected with the trade and commerce of the country. Among these

are the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, the East India House, numerous banking houses, offices of insurance companies, and many others of a similar kind. The

vast docks, wherein are congregated ships from all parts of the civilized world, freighted with the productions of nature and art, from the four quarters of the globe, are at the eastern extremity of London. The celebrated Tower of London, whose history is connected with that of some of the most memorable events in the history of England, is situated on the banks of the Thames, a little below London bridge, the last of the bridges which cross that noble river.

10. London contains a great number of churches, some of them of considerable antiquity, and many distinguished for the grandeur of their architecture, and the beauty of their decorations. I cannot even attempt to name them in my confined limits, but I must not omit specially to mention the justly-celebrated and truly grand cathedral of St. Paul. This noble structure is of comparatively modern date, having been finished only in the year 1723. It is of vast size and height, and contains some fine monuments to the memory of distinguished persons. Our great naval hero, Lord Nelson, was buried here with great pomp, and over his tomb is a noble monument beautifully executed in marble.

11. If I were to attempt to tell you of all the wonders of London, I should need a much larger book than my present, though that gives you some account of all the countries of the world. And besides London, there are so many other fine cities and large towns, that another large book would be required for them also. But I must mention that Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, are the great seats of those manufactures of cotton and hardware, which are so well known in every country. Oxford and Cambridge are famous universities, and Canterbury and York have cathedral churches of surpassing beauty; while noblemen's seats, noble castles, ruined abbeys, thriving towns, and neat villages, are met with in every direction.