Mr. URBAN,

AT

Nov. 30.

T Old Ford, near Bow, were, 1764, two gateways, both of brick, faid to be part of King John's palace. The first has a pointed arch, and no room over it; the other, a round arch, and over it a room with a window of three days in each front, and a tower projecting into the yard, behind which feems to have been a porter's lodge, and has a fire-place and the ruined floor of an upper room feparated from it on the outfide by a fafcia of battlements. The arches of the gateway fpring from angels holding defaced shields in the centre, and from grote fque figures at the four corners. The whole was very much cracked. The ground within was Occupied by buildings belonging to a callice-printer, in whofe kitchen adjoining were faid to be King John's arms. A butcher in the neighbourhood found, about five years before, thrown out of a drain, a filver fpoon, with the bowl round, and arms ftamped in the middle, which he fold for 75 6d. D. H. [*** Sec a view of it, 1793, Pl. I. EDIT.]

Mr. URBAN,

Plymouth, Dec. 16. THE HE gloomy politicians of the prefent hour having frequently affirmed that this is the moft bloody war that ever was waged in the known world, and that there never were fo many lives loft in the various battles fought this fummer in any former war; I could not help turning over fome letters from a near relation of mine, high in the Ruffian fervice, in one of which I find a particular account of the ftorming of Ifmailaw on the 25th of Dec. 1790, and there the carnage of 24 hours was equal almoft to the lofles of a whole campaign. The following extract from one of his letters will ferve to fhew the invincible obstinacy and courage difplayed on both fides. Col. Cobicy, the name of my relation, for his gallantry in the preceding campaigns, was datinguished by Prince Potemkin (with other British officers), and promoted from a company to the command of the regiment of Huffars and Bog. He fays, on the 24th of GENT. MAG. Supplement, 1793.

Dec. 1790, the Huffars were all difmounted; at 7 o'clock, Chriftmas-day, in the morning, the affault began. The Ruffians, under a fhower of grape shot, rushed over the glacis, filled the first ditch, but were driven back with great lofs. Animated by the prefence of their commander in chief, they returned to the charge with an ardour and determination to conquer or die, which reAlected the highest honour on them. The first parapet was carried; here the conflict was dreadful for fome hours; but, fresh troops arriving, the Turks gave way, and retired to the fecond and third parapets; and, after as obftinate and bloody a conteft as perhaps was ever fought in the annals of hiftory, the Ruffians carried all the works, and about one o'clock in the morning entered the body of the place. The undiftinguished carnage which then began was to a degree dreadful; the heavy firing, the darkness of the night, the fhrieks of women and children, the heaps of the dead, the dying and the wounded, almod impeded the paffage of the victors; thoufands of the Turks, grown furious with difappointment, rushed to certain deftruction on the points of the Rulian bayonets, or were drowned in the Danube. Till day-break nothing could be done to prevent the plunder of the place, and the confequent outrages of a lawlels foldiery, rendered more brutal by an obitinate refiftance. When the fun rofe, the appearance of Ifmailaw was in the highest degree fhocking; but, not to take up too much of your time, Prince Potemkin and his officers did every thing to prevent farther carnage. My relation, Col. Cobley, with his party, faved the haram of the governor, confifting of 300 Circalian women, who would have thrown themfelves into the river, if the haram had been polluted. As a proof of the blondinels of the form, on the returns it appeared that 13,000 Ruffians fell in the allauit, and 24.000 Turks, exclufive of those which were drowned. (See LXI. 85. 112) Col. Cobley's regiment at the commencement of the torm was 975 effec

tive

tive men; and, after the returns were de livered in, it appeared that his regiment had loft 2 majors, 14 captains and fubalterns, and 600 private men, and the co onel badly wounded. A harder-fought battle, perhaps, does not exift in hiftory; both Turks and Ruffians feemed fo determined to conquer or die.

Since the conclufion of the war, the Empress has honoured Colonel Cobley with the ribbon of St. George, and promoted him to the command of a regiment of grenadiers on the establishment, called NIEUFOLSKY POTACHI; with whom he is, and quartered at Cherfon in the Crimea, where his brother Admiral Mordwinoff is Governor, and Commiflioner of the Admiralty there, and in the Crimea. As the war we are engaged in is a war of Religion, Morality, and Virtue, against Atheists, Republicans, Murderers, and villains of all defcriptions, I hope our gloomy democrats at home will leave off their pretended tumane croakings for the lofs of lives, which in warfare muft happen, and join with every British heart in withing health and happinefs to our fovereign and his amiable family, and fucceis to his arms by fea and land.

Yours, &c. ANT. SECUNDUS.

Mr. EDITOR,

IT

-Nov. 25. T may be fome encouragement to Mr. Urban's correfpondent, the Rev. HA. M. and may, perhaps, ferve his benevolent view of affifting the induftrious poor, by lending fmall fums, intereft-free, to be informed that fuch a laudable charity was actually com'menced about twenty-eight years fince, and, I believe, fill continues, at Waterford, in Ireland. I have known it productive of the happieft effects in a country where the poor, certainly, are not fo induftrious as in this kingdom; probably, as they are not equally encouraged,yet, in general, they were very regular in their re-payments of one fhilling a week, ermore, according to the fum lent. Each perfon applying for relief was to be recommended by two perfons of credit, who were fecurities for the fum: according to circumftances the gentlemen, who managed the fund, allowed time, but, in failure of payment, after every indulgence, the fecurities made good the deficiency. The fund, at firit, was very finall; but it foon er abled them to hire a houfe; the lower part was converted into a large

room, and called "The Charitable Loan Office;" the upper apartments were let, as was the large room, to occafional exhibitions, or any purpose that did not interfere with the hours when the gentlemen met; by thefe means the houfe added to the fund. The musical gentlemen performed at feveral concerts for the benefit of the charity; and the clergy preached in favour of it, and made collections at church. Thefe, to the best of my recollection, are fome of the principal means used to promote this excellent charity. The utility of fuch an inftitution in every large town must be obvious to every reflecting mind: it would, among many other advantages, by powerfully inciting to induftry, prevent much of that spirit of difcontent, now fo frequently indulged by hopeless poverty.

It may not be unneceffary to add, that the managers chofe every year a committee, and a treasurer, who met once a week to receive payments, &c. Once a year they published a regular ftatement of contributions, of expences, of perfons relieved, &c. This flatement was fent to all refpe&table families, and new fubfcriptions amply defrayed expences, and increafed the fund; I think they were foon enabled to place fome money at intereft. A clerk was paid for calling on the dilatory, &c. but I need not add that the treafurer, committee, &c. gave their time; and long will their benevolent exertions be gratefully remembered by the poor; while their own hearts are cheared by the confcioufnefs of having faved many dif treffed families from defpair.

If you think thefe hints can be ferviceable, I fhall be happy in hav ng communicated them; but I am probably too late for your next publication, as I only faw H. A. M's letter laft night.

I take the liberty, fir, of inclosing one guinea, to be feut to H. A. M. whenever (through Mr. Urban's ufeful Magazine) he thall inform the pubick that his beneficent plan is adopted. M. E.

PAINTED GLASS AT ST. MARY'S
HALL, COVENTRY.
(Concluded from p. 1105.)
MANY of the paintings were re-

moved on account of the repairs when R. G. vifited the halt. There are halt-lengths of Elizabeth, James 1. Charles I. and Sir Thomas White, Norton, Jetlon, and Maffey, who were great benefaciqis

berefactors to the city. Whole-lengths of Charles II. and James II. by Sir Peter Lely, in the habit of the Garter; William and Mary (copies) in their coronation robes; originals of Anne, George I. George II. and Caroline, in their coronation robes; and a capital painting of his prefent Majefty, by Lawrance, in the habit of the Garter; the frame fuperb, and the whole picture worthy the donor, Lord Eardley, one of the prefent members for the city.

The kitchen and fome other offices are on the ground-floor, not under-ground. In R. G's account there is evidently an omiffion either by him or the printer: his defcription reads, "at each extremity of a large arch, over the coppers, an angel holding this fhield," without any farther account of the fhicld, which contains a mark or monogram, probably the builder's; the letters J. B. are quite diftinct. I fend you a fketch of one of them, hoping fome of your intelligent readers may decypher it. (Pl. II. fig. 1.) A "room at the lower end of the hall, where the bufinefs of the corporation is done," is not called St. Mary's parlour, but the council-houfe; neither is there a painting of Godiva in it; that painting is now, and always ufed to be, hung in

the hall.

Oppofite is another room, called the old council-houfe, which it appears R. G. did not fee. It is worth his ob.. fervation; fome carved figures on the oak roof are very well executed; the walls are covered with painted cloth, put up about the time of Elizabeth, but is now haftening very faft to decay. Adjoining is the treafury, where the writings belonging to the corporation are depofited.

The cellars on leafe are under the hall, not "under the great arch to the court," over which arch, and the Mercers chapel adjoining (now used as a warehouse, with how much propriety let the prefent members of that anuent company determine), is the mayoreffes partour, or rather, as it is newly named, the new council-houfe, communicating with the bail, now occupied by the glazier who is "patching up" the North window. About feven years fince, this room underwent a complete repair; at which time the builder, with great tafte, introduced a Venetian window, fo difcordant with the adjoining beautiful Gothic windows, I wonder it escaped the notice and cenfure of your correfpondent. R. G. is under a mistake as to the time of ere&

ing the crofs. Dugdale favs, it was begun in the 33d of Henry VIII.; but a copy of the indenture with the builders, printed in Hearne's Liber Niger Scaccarii, fixes it to his 34th year. Much is it to be regretted that this ornament of the city fhould have been fuffered to decay fo much, as to afford a pretext in the year 1771 for its entire demolition. In 1629, the corporation expended 3231. 4s. 6d, confiderably more than the original coft, in repairing, painting, and gilding it; and, in 1667, they again repaired and beautified it. I with their fucceffors had inherited a portion of the fame fpirit. The ftatue of Henry VI. was preferved out of the general wreck, and is now in a garden at Coventry very little injured. It is not only the Weft front of the tower of St. Michael's church that is dangerously cracked; the South fide is nearly as bad, and the North confiderably injured. The mode of repairing is by internal frames and external bands, of iron entirely, at certain diftances up the tower, the ends of which are fecured by very powerful fcrews; the decayed and fractured ftones taken out and re-placed with new ones.

The intended frame of timber-work, mentioned by R. G, is meant to fupport the bell, fo that they may not rest upon the tower, and has no farther concern in fecuring it. How far lowering the bells may affect their found remains to be proved; but I fhould think there can be but one opinion as to the neceffity of the meature, when, according to Mr. Wyatt's judgement, the prefervation of the tower depends upon it. Here," Mr. Urban, futter me to lament that the subfcription, opened for carrying on these necefiary and expenfive repairs, has not hitherto been honoured with the names of fome of the numerous and respectable Antiquaries which the prefent day has to boast of, and who, I am very fure, would deeply regret the lofs of this exquifite structure. At a moderate expence they have now an opportunity of indulging a favourite propensity, and will have the fatisfaction of reflecting that they have afhifted in preferving this nuble pile for the admiration of fucceeding Antiquaries. Our prefent Diocefan, I am forry to fay, has not yet added his name to the lift of fubtcribers, though he is one of the committee appointed for conducting the bufivefs; the very liberal fubtcription raifed for repairing and beautifying Lichheld cathedral will, I truft, induce him to be equally liberal in

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