200 Michael de Tregury-Battle of Brunanburh. he had directed by his will], where heretofore might have been seen a specious monument, adorned with his statue, of elegant workmanship, on which are inscribed the following verses, penned without the aid of the Muses: Præsul Metropolis Michael hic Dubliniensis Marmore tumbatus, pro me Christum flagi tetis. And at the head of the statue, 'Jesus est Salvator meus.' "This monument was found under the rubbish in St. Stephen's Chapel; the cover of it was preserved by the care of the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick's, and the Chapter; who in the year 1730 fixed it up in the wall, on the left hand, as you enter the West gate, between the said gate and the place where heretofore the Consistory Court was held; and they have placed this inscription over it: Vetus hoc Monumentum, è ruderibus Capellæ Divi Stephani nuper instauratæ erutum, Decanus et Capitulum hùc transferri curaverunt, A.D. 1730." "The will of this Prelate, dated the 10th of December, 1471, is extant among the Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin (B. 52), whereby he deviseth his two silver gilded saltsellers (salfaris) with their covers, to make cups for St. Patrick's, to serve in Divine Offices. He also bequeathed his pair of organs to the said Church, to be used at the celebration of Divine service in St. Mary's Chapel. I devise also (says he) that William Wyse, whose industry for this purpose I choose, shall in my stead visit with a decent oblation St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, which by vow I am bound to perform either by myself or proxy; and also orders him to give some Largesses towards building the neighbouring Churches near which his friends dwell.' "The Registry* of the Dominican Abbey in Dublin, gives an account, that above fifty persons went out of the Diocese of Dublin to Rome in 1451, to celebrate the jubilee then held under Pope Nicholas the Fifth, and that this prelate gave them recommendary certificates to the Pope; that seven of the number were pressed to death in the crowd, besides what died in their return. This squares with the relation given by Mathias Palmerius, in his Ware's MS. [March, additions to the Chronicle of Eusebius,† viz. That there was so great a concourse of people from all parts of the Christian world at this jubilee, that at Hadrian's Mole almost two hundred perished in the press, besides many who were drowned in the Tiber." They who returned safe in 1453, brought the melancholy news, that Constantinople was taken by the Turks, and the Emperor Constantine Palæologus slain. Our Archbishop was so afflicted at the account, that he ordered a fast to be kept strictly throughout his Diocese for three days together, and granted indulgences of an hundred years to the observers of it; and he himself went before the Clergy in procession to Christ-church, cloathed in sackcloth and ashes." The works of Tregurry are thus noticed by Pits, in his volume "De illustribus Angliæ Scriptoribus :" "Multa scripsisse perhibetur, quæ Gallis inter quos vixit vel Hibernis apud quos obiit, magis quàm Anglis e quibus natus est, nota esse poterunt. Hos tamen paucos titulos sequentes invenio : Super Magistrum Sententiarum, lib. iv. DAVIES GILbert. Mr. URBAN, Barton, Feb. 22. In perusing the communication of your Correspondent A. J KEMPE, inserted in your Magazine for December last, p. 499, I was most forcibly struck with a passage in the quotation from William of Malmesbury, to which, presuming the translation to be correct, I beg leave to call your attention. Referring to the battle of Brunanburh, it is there stated, amongst other consequences, that "the King of the Northmen, with his little troop, fled in his terror to the voice of the ship; the king of the fleet, with one ship's crew living, escaped over the yellow deep." On referring to your Magazine for January 1821, you will there find my suggestions regarding the long doubtful point amongst historians, as to the site of this renowned battle, which I am the more convinced took place at Burnham, about four miles south of the river Humber; and I now beg leave to call in the foregoing testimony of Malmesbury as an additional proof of the correctness of my suggestions; the muddy water of the Humber being most particularly applicable to, and, I believe, at some time, the only water in England that can supply an adequate authority for the expression of the yellow deep. W. S. HESLEDEN. + Ad An. 1451. THE IMPROVEMENTS NEAR CHARING-CROSS. THE improvements at the west end of the Strand, in which considerable progress has lately been made, are calculated to add so greatly to the convenience of communication, as well as to the ornament of that part of the metropolis, that we cannot but congratulate the public on their approaching accomplishment; and we are convinced that the accompanying plan will be contemplated with interest, as well by those who have to plod their daily way through the intricacies of the great Babylon, as to those less occupied, but not less curious, individuals, who are saved that weary toil, and by a distant residence are prevented from making their personal observations on the spot. It is well known that the architectural improvements of the western quarter of the metropolis, which so greatly distinguished the peaceful reign of King George the Fourth, have been conducted under the control of his Majesty's Commissioners of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues. As soon as, under the direction of that Board, that part of this truly national design had been executed, which provided the line of communication between PallMall and Portland-place, the Commissioners took measures for proceeding with the further object, which proposed the continuation of Pall-Mall into St. Martin's Lane, the disclosure to view of the noble portico of St. Martin's church, and the formation of an open area in front of the King's Mews. The original plan had not contemplated the extension of this area far beyond that which already existed within the precincts of the Mews; but it having appeared to the Commis sioners, after much consideration, that the unequal length of the two sides so defined would be a deformity particularly striking in the approach from Whitehall, and that a much larger space than was at first designed ought to be left open, besides that it was highly desirable to widen the west end of the Strand, Mr. Nash was, in March 1825, directed carefully to reconsider the subject. The result was a plan by which the area was proposed to be enlarged by the removal of the whole of the lower part of St. Martin's Lane, and the improvements were extended in the direction of the Strand as represented in the map before us. The suggestions and estimates of Mr. Nash having been submitted to the Lords of the Treasury, and having received their approbation," the CharingCross act" was introduced to the Legislature in the session of 1826, and received the royal assent on the 31st of May in that year. For effecting the principal improvement* authorized by this Act, there were required 515 houses and buildings in and near Charing-Cross, St. Martin's Lane, and the Strand; the value of which property was originally estimated at 748,7927. 128. 10d.† When, however, the business had made considerable progress, it was found that the value of the property exceeded that sum by 95,6971. 128. 9d.; and in the account drawn up on the 5th of January 1829, the following statement of expenditure was given : £. S. d. The present estimate of the value of the property to be purchased............843,950 4 9 Architects', Surveyors', and Solicitors' charges; rents of leasehold properties purchased, deficiencies in parochial rates, Auditors' and Treasury fees, salaries, gratuities to tenants at will, interest on purchase-moneys, and incidental charges. Redemption of Land Tax. 32,000 000 0 0 0 Paving carriage and foot ways, erecting lamp and guard posts. Total probable expenditure....................... 20,000 0 0 £1,018,697 4 9 It embraced also two minor improvements in Downing-street and King-street, St. James's; which it is unnecessary to notice further on this occasion. † An article on the ancient state of Charing Cross and its neighbourhood, will be found in vol. XCVI. ii. 29. GENT. MAG. March, 1831. 202 The Improvements near Charing-Cross. The expences have been met by the revenues, and certain sales, of the Crown lands, without any Parliamentary grants. During the last Session of Parliament, an Act was passed, enabling the Commissioners to raise 300,000l. by loan; and the terms of the Equitable Assurance Company being the lowest, the Commissioners agreed with them for the whole sum at the interest of 31. 10s. per cent., to be repaid at the following periods: 301. per cent. at Midsummer 1833, 301. per cent. at Midsummer 1835, 40l. per cent. at Midsummer 1837. When the Commissioners made their last report, which is dated the 8th of June 1830, they had nearly completed the purchase of all the premises required.* Since that period, the work of demolition has rapidly gone forward; and to that has now succeeded, and is proceeding with scarcely less rapidity, the more pleasing process of re-edification. We shall now briefly notice the several features of the plan before us; merely premising that considerable changes and modifications have taken place since Mr. Nash's plan, made at the period already mentioned, was published in the Commissioners' Report for 1826. We will first place ourselves in the Area. Its width from west to east is five hundred feet; and from the front of the old royal stables on the north to the statue of King Charles the First is the same distance. The western side is already formed by the beautiful edifice occupied as the Union Clubhouse, and the College of Physicians. On the eastern side it was proposed by Mr. Nash to erect a range of buildings of correspondent design, and in a correspondent position; but it is now under consideration whether the mag [March nificent portico of St. Martin's church (which has been very properly considered as a principal object of regard in all the present arrangements,†) would not show to greater advantage if this building was to range with the west end of the church. In this case its front will at its northern angle recede somewhat further to the east, and towards the southern wing project rather further into the square than is shown in the plan. Perhaps it is not possible to arrive at a satisfactory determination on this point, until the area has been entirely cleared, and its effect on coming from Whitehall has been ascertained. On the north of the new Area, a very long building is laid down for a "National Gallery of Painting and Sculpture;" but we believe it is by no means certain that this edifice will be erected. Mr. Arbuthnot, the First Commissioner in 1826, gave it as his opinion in addressing the House of Commons, that the paintings, statues, and works of art possessed by the nation, would be more useful to the public there than in the British Museum. But with that opinion we cannot agree. Putting out of the question the addiditional expense of a distinct building, and distinct establishment, (but which considerations will have their weight in the present æra of economy,) we must contend that the site of the British Museum is unexceptionable. It is considerably more centrical than Charing-Cross; and it is to be remembered that neither the present valuable treasures of that repository, nor those destined to adorn a National Gallery, are for the sole amusement of loungers or people of fashion, but for the study and instruction of the whole town; in all parts of which reside admirers of the arts, and joint owners of the public collections. Add to this that the * In the Report of 1829, it was mentioned that, in negociating the purchases, (then amounting to 540,) only eight cases had occurred in which it was necessary to resort to the compulsory powers of the Act for obtaining verdicts by juries, and in six of those cases verdicts were taken by mutual agreement after the juries had been impanelled. This is worthy of notice, as a remarkable contrast to the conduct of the parties concerned in the property required for the approaches to London Bridge. Ralph, an architectural critic of the last century, whose suggestions on metropolitan improvements have recently been often quoted, thus expressed himself on this subject, and pointed out the excellencies of the edifice: "I could wish, too, that a view was opened to St. Martin's church: I don't know any one of the modern buildings about town which more deserves such an advantage. The portico is at once elegant and august; and the steeple above it ought to be considered as one of the most tolerable in town. *** The round columns at each angle of the church are very well conceiv'd, and have a very fine effect in the profile of the building. The east end is remarkably elegant, and very justly challenges a particular applause.”—Critical Review of the Public Buildings, 1734. |