each floor, where the books and papers are deposited every evening, and removed in trunks to the respective offices.

A grand staircase in each wing, with a double flight of steps, conduct to a lobby at each end of the long room: they are lighted by vertical lantern lights, the ceilings whereof are perforated in square compartments, and glazed. These lobbies serve to check the great draughts of air which would otherwise flow through the room, if it opened directly on the staircases. Approaching the staircases from north or south, the first flight is immediately opposite the approach.

This elegant and extensive building was opened for public business on the 12th May, 1817.

Basements.-Cellars for Wines. Spirits, Coals, &c.

West Wing, Ground Floor-Contains 18 Rooms, and Offices for Inspectors of the River, Gaugers, Superintendant of Piazza Officers, Register of Watermen, Tide Surveyors and Waiters, Register of Tide Waiters, Wood-farm Office, Landing Waiters, Appointers of the Watch and Landing Surveyors. There are private rooms attached to some of the above offices.

Centre, Ground Floor-Contains 11 Rooms, appropriated to the Coast Department, the King's Warehouse, Surveyor of King's Warehouse, Assistant Surveyor, Warehouse Keeper, Office for Stamping Velvet, Silk Lace, &c. and their Clerks.

East Wing, Ground Floor-Contains 21 Rooms, Offices, &c. for Coffee Office, Appointer of the Weighers, Paper Room, for the Plantation Department, Receiver of Fines, Forfeitures, Seizures, &c. Clerk of the Cheque, Housekeeper's Office, Searchers and Controlling Searchers, Room for Merchants and Brokers, Clearing Ships' Office, Drawback and Bounty Accounts, Depôt for Books, Surveyor of Searchers, with several Rooms for Clerks, &c.

West Wing, One Pair-Contains 19 Rooms, and Offices for Pay and Examiner's Office, Register General of Shipping, Assistant to ditto, Accountant of Petty Receipts, Surveyor for Sloops, Messengers, Bench Officers, Treasury, Receiver General, Strong Room, Clerks to Examiner of Day Pay Bills, Supervisor of the Receiver General's Receipts and Payments, Examiner of Day Pay Bills, and

of the sufficiency of Officers' Securities, their Clerks, &c. Centre, One Pair--Contains 8 Rooms, for the Surveyor for the Acts of Navigation, Comptroller Inwards, Collector Outwards, Trinity Light House, &c. &c.

Long Room, One Pair, Centre. This is the principal place for all foreign business, both inwards and outwards; the ship-master first makes the report of his cargo here, the entries of which, either for payment of duties, warehousing, or subsequent exportation, are all passed with the respective Officers in this Room.

East Wing, One Pair-Contains 20 Rooms, and Offices for the Bond Office, Clerk of the Papers, Commissioner, Committee Rooms, Petition Office, Secretary's Room, Messenger's, Clerks, Board Room, with many Waiting Rooms, &c. &c.

West Wing, Two Pair-Contains 19 Rooms, for Inspector General of Imports and Exports, Surveyors' General, Warehouse Keepers, Principal Surveyor, Controlling Surveyor, Inspector of Out-port Collector's Accounts, Inspector's Clerk, &c. &c.

East Wing, Two Pair-Contains 4 Rooms, for Inspector of Plantation Accounts, Comptroller General's Office, and their Clerks.

The designs are creditable to the taste and science of the architect. The quay in front of the building is to be enlarged by filling up a part of the river, and a new wall and quay are to be formed from the Tower to Billingsgate wharf, and numerous improvements are projected in the contiguous streets and lanes. The river, at this place, is about 20 feet deep at high water mark.

The business of the Customs is managed by nine Commissioners, whose jurisdiction extends over all the ports of England.

The Excise Office.

The Excise Office is a plain, but large and elegant stone building, erected on the site of Gresham College, in 1768, on the south side of Broad Street. It is destined to the receipt and management of that branch of the public taxes, called the excise duties. It is managed by nine commissioners, having a multitude of Clerks and Officers; and,

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as is too well known, the Excise system spreads from bence over every part of the empire, under the controul of legions of surveyors, supervisors, officers, &c.

South Sea House.

At the eastern extremity of Threadneedle Street stands the South Sea House, a substantial and handsome building of brick, ornamented with Portland Stone. The entrance is by a gateway, with a noble front, leading into a court, with a piazza, formed of Doric pillars. The interior is grand and commodious. It has one room peculiarly lofty, spacious, and elegant.

The South Sea Company was incorporated by act of Parliament, in 1710, to pay 9,177,9677. due to the seamen employed in Queen Anne's wars. The capital was afterwards enlarged to ten millions. In 1720, the company was, by act of parliament, granted the sole privilege of trading to the South Seas, within certain limits, and empowered to increase their capital, by redeeming several of the public debts. This opened the way to extraordinary mal-practices and speculations, till the stock of the company was raised to 37,802,4831. and sold at the enormous price of one thousand per cent. A few were thus elevated from poverty to an extreme of wealth; but thousands were reduced to beggary from affluence.

The affairs of this company are now reduced to a narrow compass, and conducted with the same regularity as the other public funds. The sum now due to them by government is £20,071,000.

The Trinity House.

This beautiful edifice is situated on the northern side of Great Tower Hill. It is a new building of stone, and has the advantage of rising ground for its site, and of a fine area in the front.

The business of the Trinity House is transacted here, but the parent house is at Deptford, the corporation being named. The Master, Wardens, and Assistants, of the Guild, or Fraternity, of the most glorious and undivided Trinity, and of St. Clement, in the parish of Deptford Stroud, in the County of Kent.

This corporation was founded in 1515, by Henry VIII.

and consists of the master, four wardens, eight assistants, and eighteen elder brethren, in whom is the direction of the company; and an indefinite number of younger brothers, for any seafaring man may be admitted into the society by that name, but without any part of the controul of its concerns. The elder brethren are usually selected from commanders in the navy and merchants' service; with a few principal persons of his Majesty's government. The use of this corporation is to superintend the interests of the British shipping, military and commercial. To this end their powers are very extensive; the principal of which are, to examine the children educated in mathematics in Christ's Hospital;-examine the masters of the king's ships; appoint pilots for the Thames ;-erect lighthouses and sea-marks;-grant licenses to poor seamen, not free of the city, to row on the Thames; and superintend the deepening and cleansing of the river. They have power to receive donations for charitable purposes; and they annually relieve great numbers of poor seamen, and seamen's widows and orphans. And as they alone supply outward bound ships with baliast, on notice of any shoal or obstruction arising in the river Thames, they immediately direct their men and lighters to work on it until it is removed. The profits arising to this corporation by this useful regulation is great.

The interior of the Trinity House deserves to be visited. With a recommendation from the resideut secretary, strangers may view it, by giving the servant one shilling. The secretary's office contains a beautiful model of the Royal William. The hall is light and elegant; from whence, by a double staircase, you ascend to the courtroom, which is particularly elegant, without being incumbered, and the ceiling finished in a superior style; it contains portraits of, the King and Queen; James II.; Lord Sandwich; Lord Howe; and Mr. Pitt. The upper end of the room is covered by a group of about twenty-four portraits of the Elder Brethren, the gift of the Merchant Brethren in 1794.

The Monument.

About 200 yards north of London-bridge is situated the finest pillar in the world, erected by Sir Christopher Wren,

in memory of the great fire, which, in 1666, broke out at a house on this spot, and destroyed the metropolis from the Tower to Temple Bar.

It is a fluted column of the Doric order; the total height of it is 202 feet; the diameter at the base 15 feet, and the height of the column 120 feet; and the cone at the top, with its urn, are 42 feet. The height of the massy pedestal is 40 feet. Within the column is a flight of 345 steps, and from the iron balcony at the top is a most fascinating prospect of the metropolis and the adjacent country. The admittance to the top is sixpence. It is impossible not to lament the obscure situation of this beautiful monument, which, in a proper place, would form one of the most striking objects of the kind that architecture is capable of producing.

The inscription had better be erased, for no rational being can entertain the notion, that the Catholics, or any religious sect, could wilfully have perpetrated so horrible a deed as this pillar was intended to impute to them, nor can so much credit be given to human foresight, as for it to be concluded that a fire, which broke out in a single house, could upon this, rather than upon other occasions, have extended its ravages in so extraordinary a manner. The monument has lately been instrumental twice in the perpetration of suicide.

The Corn Exchange

Is a handsome brick building, situated on the east side of Mark Lane; it is an open market, and convenient enough in its plan, except that it is too small. The market days are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The Coal Exchange

Is in Thames Street, and contains a handsome rotunda, with convenient divisions for the business of the coal merchants, and dealers in this great article of the first necessity.

The Commercial Hall.

It having long been a complaint that some respectable place of general accommodation was wanted for the dis