actors of all this were three grand commanders of the army, Janizary Aga (a chief general) and two Ogiah Aga's (subgenerals). Thus does the parallel hold in ye act, and it may do so in the conclusion, which in brief was thus :-Sultan Ibrahim, now some time murdered, and these tyrannous rebels, grown ripe in their oppression, and so fixed in their power, as if heaven itself could scarce subdue them, some honest-hearted subjects, at a private giunto, made this resolution, and the execution of it was bravely and boldly perform'd by one Shacus Aga, a young but a highly gallant person, who had but lately before been vizier himself. The standard was set up at the Seraglio gate, Mahmet being Grand Sen' in his father's stead, and a proclamation thundered thro' streets and country, yt all who own reverence to their faith and obedience to their king, should repair to the standard, on the penalty of the curse in their law against traytors and rebells, and that the wives of such should be at their own lybertys. Hereupon, in an hour's time, an innumerable people repaired to the standards, to whom speeches were made, shewing the sad oppressions they were under, who were the authors of them, and what the remedies; w" presently the head counsell's went into the Divan (or parliament house) and the people in fury ran to find out the rebells and bring them to judgment; nay their own guards of soldiers and their very attendants were then most ready to surprize them. Yet two of them fled, and the third only was now taken; who being brought to the Divan, was immediately condemned, hurried forth into the open court, there strangled, and minc'd into mammock pieces, one pulling out an eye, another cutting off an ear, a third a finger, till he was cut out by retail, in satisfaction for personal injuries, whiles the loss of his life and the ruins of his family hon and estate were ye rewards of his publick crimes. The other two being afterwards taken, redeem'd their lives by the discovery of their immense wealth, but were ousted all offices, banish'd the city, and privileg'd only that their places, estates, and hon might dy before y persons.

These undertakings having such success, Shacus Aga was justly rewarded with the vizier's place, yet did he enjoy it only half a year, behaving himself throughout his short durance as he had done at his entrance, with great courage and honour; but ye minority of the king gave occasion to the treachery of his rebellious subjects, yt they might pursue their private ends thro' all hazards of ye publick interests; and thus did the Kisler Aga use his ad

vantage, who being chief 14 over all the eunuchs, and having, besides all ye concubines, ye young king under his tuition, perswaded the king to give him a haatsherif (an imperial command) for ye displacing of Shacus Aga, and settling another in his stead, as also to remove all the officers through the empire as he thought fit, and such is ye implicit obedience of Turkish subjects, as yt they readily submit to their king's commands, without pleading hee is simple (as was Sultan Ibrahim), nor that he is a child (as is his son Mahmet), and this to the shame of those who have murdered not a foolish or a childish, but a most just and wise king.

In sum, ye Kisler Aga thus govern'd all, being director of the emper' and command of the empire; yet was it not long till his subtilty was discovered, nor long after till himself was banished, and ye governm returned into its wonted channel. About this time was the chief concubine of the deceased king put to death, and said to bee put into a sack and thrown into the sea, having been first made to discover the vast treasure she had gain'd thro' y extravagant prodigality of the Sultan Ibrahim, whose effeminacy was such, as the wealth of his whole empire could rather only feed than satisfy, all costs and all curiositys being too little to reward his pleasing bedfellows; among which this was his chiefest favourite, gaining hence the name of Sheker-para, or Sugar Bill. And as his tyranny occasioned his death, so his concubines moved him to tyranny, who finding their coffers fill'd on so easy terms, did not spare to ask whatsoever they desired when yt they might be furnish'd; he sends his commands to ye grand vizier, the vizier to ye bassas, beighs, customers, and other grandees, and those again to the inferior officers, 90 y from ye top to the bottom of the hill ye ball of oppression roll'd till it became intolerably great.

About this time also was ye great Mofti put to death by authority, contrary to ye original priviledge of ye office to injoy it till their natural deaths; likewise was the Greek Patriarch murdred in the street by the connivance of ye great ones, who are now grown so vicious in their government, y' they drown all regards to hon' and the common wealth, in the streams that run to their own private gain, disposing y helm of the empire into the hands of those, not that had most skill to govern it, but most money to buy it; nay, making such places vendible, which by their canons and ancient constitutions had always been conferr'd for term of life. Some other accidents and observations I must interadd disorderly in yt I remember not ye time

wherein they happned, nor how to place them. As, first, his lords noble attempt on occasions of divers oppressions and abuses to the English nation, while ye vizier deny'd him remedy and forbid him all addresses to the Grand Seign', which in brief was thus:-Cailing a council with his merchants they thus resolved and effected,-eight good ships being then in port, they all in the night repaired aboard them, disposing themselves into their several quarters; then clearing the ships, charging the canons, &c. they put all in order for fight if occasion urg'd, yet they wisely shut all their ports, and hung out white flaggs to shew their intentions of peace. At break of day they set sail, in a fighting posture, and thus all of them fell fairly down before the seraglio walls, setting on fire pots of pitch at their main yard arms, which token, qualified with the white flags and close ports, signified that they sought redress of some great injuries, which if they could not obtain peaceably they would revenge stoutly. Scarce had they reacht their designed station and set themselves in posture, but ye people in tumults covered all the shore, fill'd the city walls, and climb'd upon ye tops of their houses to see this strange portent, and straight fearing some desperate action, they fled in multitudes over the Bosphorus to ye Asian shore. The unimagined alarm made the vizier, captain bassa, and many other great ones, doubt their own safetys, while, being conscious what their oppressions might justly bring upon them, they hasted thro' ye crowd and rowed to the ships, in hopes to quiet all before the Grand Seig should hear ye news; where, calling earnestly on ye ambassad', they supplicated him to take down the fires, with strong assurances y' they should not ask anything within their powers which forthwith should not be granted; hereupon his lord? demanded the return of a sum of money, which ye grand customer had lately extorted, as also the liberty of all the English slaves at Constantinople; all which, in a few minutes, was perform'd, and mountains of promises made of all other his reasonable demands should have redress.

Qudly. I must note his lords handsome behaviour at a general audience of ye English, French, and Dutch ambassadrs with ye grand vizier and capitan bassa, for a supply of shipping on the Grand Seig's behalf agst the Venetians, arguing y' having a truce as well with them as the Venetians, they ought to afford assistance as well to ye one as to the other, or at least to the Turks once in their necessity, as well as always to the Venetians, of their free accords, adding, that altho' o' ships

were imprison'd within the Dardanels, so y' they could, if they pleas'd, seize them per force, yet they should aford pay for their services. To which plausible and indeed reasonable demand, his ld rather chose to make a handsome evasion than a positive answer, and aptly took this occasion; he inform'd the vizier before the audience, y' unless he might sit at his right hand he would not appear, well imagining y the French ambass* aimed at the same mark,-ye vizier meanwhile seeming indifferent, intended ye place for him that first came, wch my Ld Bendish fortuning to do, he took up ye seat, but being accidentally in discourse when ye French ambass' came, and standing up with his back towards the door where he enter'd, the small great man silently slipt behind my Ld Bendish into his chair, my 1d not perceiving it, as he retired backwards, set on the Fr. ambass lap, but finding his cushion thus chang'd, clapt his hand to the Fr. ambass's neck and threw him out of his seat; hereupon wee and ye Frenchmen were at daggers drawing, but the vizier and his guard stepping in, all of difference ended but in words, but my 1d pretending himself disgusted, declared hee would be no more prevailed on for any such giunto.

3rdly. I must instance, touching y Turk's fleet of ships, built by some Fleming renegadoes, arriving in about fourteen months' time, to the number of thirty, so apt for use and so fair in shape, as made artists admire their first attempt should reach to so great perfection; not that they wanted faults, and such as some of them scarce could swim out of port, particularly their admiral, which being to be launch't in glory, they omitted to put into her sufficient ballast, but, on the contrary, mounted her guns and ran them all out to celebrate her triumph; besides, all the deck was covered with men, and hang'd all over with banners, and thus her upper work overweighing her lower, and all her port holes open, when the trumpets, drums, and brass instruments began their clangour, ye guns their roaring, and the people their shout, the ship very orderly sinks right down, transforming ye Turk's triumph into the Devil's feast, who, loving to fish in troubled waters, received here a plentiful draught, and had abundance of musick into the bargain. The ship, yet repriev'd, tho' not wholly redeem'd (ab inferis) from the lower house, (from whence there is no redemption) with great expense and industry, made up the fleet at their departure, -ye going out of wth is one of the most glorious sights the city yields. It consisted then of about sixty gallies and gally.. grosses, and thirty ships, all which were

richly guilded, painted, &c. and furbisht, new out of their arsenal, with men, guns, and clad from stem to stern with most glorious bandiers. Their guns all thundred together, with such an eccho as ye world has scarce the like; their numerous trumpets, drums, and other warlike instruments made a ratling chorus, and, above all, many thousands of men, in a general shout, made a dreadful noise; so that altogether they filled the air wth clouds and with thunder, as if Mars and Bellona were celebrating a triumph with their sons of thunder.

4thly. Let me hint somewhat of ye Grand Seign's publick appearance, which is customary four times every year, at their four chief festivals, but as much oftener as himself pleases,-ye manner whereof is so glorious as amaz'd my memory. For I can recollect only y' before him marcht, in regiments, so many hundred Janizaries, so many hundred bustangees, so many hundred archers, so many capigees, hundreds of hitch-oglans, of eunuchs, and of mutes, each in their proper habits distinguishable, to the number in all about 4,000; near his person were severall troupes of Chur bagees, in their great feathers, mounted on noble Arabian steeds, being each of them considerable commanders; yet nearer to him rides ye grand vizier, the Janizary aga, capitan Bassa, and all the great beighs, bassas, and pormatts there resident. Before him are led divers incomparable horses, accoutred with saddles, bridles, and trappings, almost lost in gold, silver and precious stones; but on each side of him ride his two grand favourites, mounted on horses, and drest in habits to the extreem of wonder; and thus he marches stately on with admirable silence, unless the people sometimes interrupt it with their soft murmurs of prayers for him, who pay him so much reverence as if somewhat were in his countenance more than human, which they dare not behold. 5thly. Let me note the publick Devan,

or Councell, which is held constantly twice each week in a room allotted to this purpose, within the second wall of the seraglio, and there, first, because the King, from a private auditory can, unseen, overhear all their conference; and, secondly, because those to whom he trusts the empire may frequently be under the power of his own guard. This Council consists only (or at least chiefly) of a grand vizier, whiles he alone is sole arbiter under ye Grand Seign in all causes w'soever. Hither, and from thence are these Councells attended by a magnificent guard of churbagees, hitch-oglans, and janizaries, such as far exceeds the ordinary attendance of Christian kings, and yet is as far short of ye guard of the Grand Seig' as a vizier is of a sultan. Hither repair all persons y will, of how great or mean quality soever, for redress of their grievances, wch they deliver by the hands of a chaous, or serjeant, in a writing call'd an arres, comprised in as few words as may be, themselves going along with it and having their witnesses near at hand. The arres being read, the vizier advises with those of the bench, and determines briefly what he please, and the expedition is often made to ye greatest causes; yet is his sentence sometimes revers'd, either by disproving ye witnesses, or else buying the vizier's fav.

Here have I often appear'd myself, and seen the meanest persons boldly represent their cases wth success. Whiles the councill sits, the guard silently attends without, in adjacent cloysters; but when it breaks up, they run with a strange fury, each to their proper posture. And scarce is there a Divan but are to be seen such horses, and that in great number, as all Christendom cannot vie with, many of whose accoutrements alone are worth thousands, and those are but common which cost less than hundreds. (To be continued.)

THIS ancient structure, in its original and perfect state, might be regarded as a highly interesting specimen of the domestic architecture of the early part of the fourteenth century. By the favour of Captain Edmeades, the use of a fine drawing of the interior of the Hall, from the pencil of Mr. Blore, has been allowed, from which the accompanying engraving has been made, with a view of preserving the

E. S. C.

remembrance of a curious and almost unique example of ancient timber construction; the original having suffered greatly from alterations, which the proprietor has been under the necessity of making, to render the ancient house applicable to the purposes of a modern dwelling.

The earliest possessor of Nutstede, whose name alone has reached our days, was the Saxon Ulstan, who is recorded

in Domesday as the possessor in the time of King Edward the Confessor. At the period of the Norman survey it formed part of the immense possessions of Odo Bishop of Bayeux, and in the 13th year of King John, having in all probability reverted to the crown on the disgrace of the Bishop, was assigned, with other lands, to John de Fienes and his assistants, for the defence of Dover Castle; and the tenant of Nutstede was bound to perform ward there, every twenty-four weeks, or twice in every year.

The erection of the mansion which forms the subject of the present article, judging from the style of the architecture, appears to have taken place during the period when Nurstede was held by the family of Gravesende, of which family the first owner appears to have been Sir Stephen de Graveende, who held it in the 7th year of the reign of Edward the First (1283).

From Sir Stephen the estate passed to Richard de Gravesende, who was made Bishop of London in 1280, and who at the same period that his military relative, the former possessor, was engaged with his sovereign Edward the First, in the Scotch wars, succeeded in improving this estate by obtaining a charter of free warren to it, which was granted the 27th year of the above reign (1298), the year succeeding that in which Sir Stephen was present with the king at the surrender of Carlaverock Castle.

The Bishop died at Fulham in 1303, and was succeeded in this manor by his nephew and heir, Stephen de Gravesende, who, in 1318, was also Bishop of London, and died seised of Nutstede in the 12th year of King Edward the Third (1338), and during whose occupancy the present hall was in all probability completed.

The Gravesend family were succeeded by the Frowicks. In 1459 the estate passed from that family by sale to Hugh Brent, in whose descendants it continued until the reign of King Henry the Seventh, when it was alienated to John Martin, who, dying without issue male, his two daughters and coheirs, with their husbands, became entitled to the estate in moieties.

William Sedley, of Southfleet, Esq., sheriff of the county in the 1st of Ed

ward the Sixth, purchased one moiety, and his descendant William Sedley, created a baronet 22d May 1611, acquired the other by the same means in the 20th of James the First.

Sir John Sedley, son of the above Sir William, in 1631 conveyed the manor to the trustees of John Adye, of Doddington, in this county, whose grandson eventually became entitled, and, dying without issue, left his four sisters his coheirs; and upon the partition of his estates, Nutstede devolved upon his second daughter Elizabeth, the wife of William Hugesson, in whose family it continued until 1767, when it was purchased by Henry Edmeades, Esq. who about the same period became possessed of the advowson of the adjacent parish of Ifield, and from whom it has descended to his son Capt. William Edmeades, formerly of the Hon. East India Company's marine service, the present possessor, and also the occupier of Nursted Court, as the name is now more generally written.

At the taking of the Cape of Good Hope in 1806, Capt. Edmeades, who then commanded the Hon. Company's ship William Pitt, commanded a detachment of officers and seamen, from the East India Company's ships; on which occasion Capt. Edmeades had Lieutenant-Colonel's rank, and took the field at the head of his brigade, with whom he received the thanks of General Sir David Baird for their gallantry on that occasion. This service of Capt. Edmeades is honourably mentioned in the London Gazette of the 28th Feb. 1806. He has also the merit of introducing what is generally known as the patent illuminator on ship board, from which very considerable benefit has accrued, both to the navy and merchant service.

The predecessors of this gentleman divided the ancient hall of Nursted Court into several floors, and apportioned it into various rooms. A portion of the old Court was subsequently taken down, and the rest incorporated with a modern dwelling-house adjoining; and on removing, a few years since, a part of the rooms constructed in the hall, in order to form larger and more convenient apartments, the form and construction of the original building was discovered, and the drawing

before referred to was made by the direction of Capt. Edmeades.

At present only a portion of the original hall exists, and that portion is lost in the partitions and floors of the modern apartments; still the exterior exhibits some relics of its original architecture, and the lofty tiled roof of the existing portion of the Hall, conveys some idea of its former importance.

As originally completed, Nursted Court consisted of an irregular group of buildings, the most important of which was the Hall, the high pitched roof rising conspicuously above the other portions, and shewing it to be the principal feature of the house.

What appears to have been the chief entrance to the Hall, was in one of the end walls; it consisted of a spacious pointed doorway, above which were two windows, which had been despoiled of their tracery: a similar entrance appeared in one of the side walls, and besides the windows above described, the structure was lighted by two lofty traceried windows in the flanks, the heads of which rose above the elevation of the walls, and broke into the roof in the manner of a dormer, in this feature resembling the old Hall formerly existing at Cumnor Place. The arches of these windows were covered with gables, the soffits ornamented with barge boards; those which appertained to the northern one remain and appear to be of considerable antiquity. Besides these windows, the side walls were pierced with others of less size.

The interior of the Hall was distinguished by the singular construction of its roof, which was sustained on pillars standing within the area, in this respect it differing from the generality of ancient examples which have reached our day; it is, however, highly probable that Westminster Hall was originally divided after the same manner. The roof appears to have been sustained on a frame work, composed of two principal beams and two purlins, and supported by four oaken pillars, disposed in two ranges on each side of the area, the beams being converted into arches by the addition to their soffits of arch-formed timbers.

It will readily be judged from the design of this roof, that the object of

the architect was to relieve by every possible means the side walls from the weight and pressure of the rafters ; this is observable, not only in the immense framework of pillars and arches which compose the main supports, but also in the smaller arches which occupy the space between the columns and the walls, acting as buttresses. To guard against the effects of the lateral thrust of this weight of timber, the architect has introduced a series of columnar supports to all the rafters, resting on the wall plates, and throwing the weight of the roof perpendicularly on the side walls. The rafters were again secured at the ridge by the series of collar beams and the king post, the entire structure forming a very curious specimen of ancient carpentry.

From certain indications in the architecture of Westminster Hall, as well as the immense span of the roof, it has been supposed that the interior of that structure, as completed by William Rufus, was divided into three aisles, but considerable doubt exists as to the manner in which the presumed partition was made. The size of the area seems to forbid the supposition of the entire structure having been covered with a roof supported alone on the walls; and as there are instances of halls of the Norman period, in which the interior area is found to have been divided by arcades into aisles, in the manner of a church, it has been conjectured that Westminster Hall was, at the time of its original construction, divided in a similar manner. Mr. Twopeny, in a recent work, which has been printed for the gratification of his friends, refers to the hall of Oakham Castle, as an example of this kind of arrangement.

"The Hall consists, like a church, of a centre and two side aisles, the divisions being made by two rows of semicircular arches, supported by columns. This arrangement was sometimes used in other Halls of that period. It is not unlikely that Westminster Hall, as originally built by William Rufus, was, from its great width, so arranged, and the roof thus supported, but in the recent repairs there, no evidence in confirmation of this disposition was found. At a later period there occur occasional instances of a similar planthe timber-arched roof of Nursted Court.

in Kent, partly yet remaining, and the