VIII. And by royal grant it had been transferred to Sir Richard Lumley, who, anno 1629 conveyed to the mayor and burgesses of Newcastle, and their fucceffors, for ever, all that stone building covered with lead called the Maison Dieu, standing near the Tyne, and to the eastern part of the Town's Chamber, being fixteen yards in length, and anciently being part of the hofpital of St. Katharine the virgin, in confideration of one hundred pounds.

This building is now converted into cellars, &c. A part of it towards the Sandhill, was, some years ago, taken down and rebuilt. It consists of a row of Piazzas, where the Salmon-market is held, having apartments over them for dwelling-houses. Adjoining to this is the Merchant's Court, or Hall, which we will describe when we give the history of that ancient and opulent body.

But what claims particular attention is, the TOWNCOURT. We shall present our readers with Mr. Bourne's account of it in its ancient state, and before it was beautified with the late alterations. This public structure owes its origin to that generous patron of almost every laudable foundation in Newcastle, Roger Thornton. What that great and good man built for transacting public business, was pulled down, and the late one erected in its place, anno 1658. Alderman Weymoth, by will, dated April 11, 1658, gave 1200 pounds towards it, and the town was at the rest of the charge, which amounted to above 10,000 pounds more.

The architect was Robert Trollop, and his charge for building the court was 9771 pounds. To complete which the town clerk was ordered to advance to him 900 pounds more.

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To this, Mr. Trollop had 50 pounds in addition for erecting the King's arms in the court, and on the bridge, the same sum for finishing them, and for making the conduit on the Sandhill.

This building (fays Mr. Bourne, and indeed which he very accurately describes) as to its form and model, is of great beauty. That part of it, which is the court itself, is a very stately hall, whose lofty cieling is adorned with various paintings, and its floor inlaid with chequered marble. On the east fide is a dial, and the entrance into the Merchants' Court. On the west are the benches where the magistrates hold their quarter feffions, Court of Confcience, and Courts of Guild, meetings of the burgesses, and other public business. And it is in this spacious court where his Majefty's judges hold the annual affizes, for the town and county of Newcastle. The windows of this building are to the fouth, and command a view of the bridge and river, crowded often with ships from all nations. One of these windows is in the form of a Catharine wheel, in which is a large fun-dial of beautifully painted glass, over which the affecting exclamation of Horace, Eheu Fugaces! Ab, how swiftly fly our years!

Above the Court hang the portraits of Charles II. and of his royal brother and successor, James II. at full length, and as large as life. By whom these portraits were drawn, is not recorded in the common council books. But they have, like their originals, been rather unfortunate. For, in the riot that happened at Newcastle in 1740, the drapery of these pictures, of the brother kings, was miferably torn; the scattered fragments, however, were collected and remitted

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remitted to London. These pictures were done afresh, and elegantly fitted up in their present frames, richly guilt and moulded, and placed in their former., situation, till a fecond disaster befel them by the great fire which happened in the adjacent warehouses, in 1791,on the fouth fide of St, Thomas' Chapel, when the flames having caught the roof of the Guild-hall, and melting the lead on the roof, it fell on the paint-, ings, one of the hands of that of Charles II. was burnt, and other injuries done. These however were repaired by the late Mr. Bell, a native of New-, castle, who by vigour of genius became the most eminent portrait painter which this town ever produced.. At the low end of the hall is a fine portrait painting of his present Majesty George III. in his robes of state, by Allan Ramsay, and presented to the town in 1779 by Sir Matthew White Ridley.

On the north fide of this hall is, says Mr. Bourne, a magnificent entrance into a paffage which leads into a large room, called the Towns Chamber. Here it is that the mayor transacts the common business of the town. Here also the common council is held, where the mayor fits on a bench diftinguished from the others, the aldermen on each fide, the common council below upon chairs placed on each fide of the room. Here, upon royal birth days, or of public rejoicings, it is that the mayor, magistrates, and burgeffes assemble. in the west end of the Town'schamber is a small room, where the ancient records and archives of the town are kept.

The afcent to the entrance of the hall, was by two staircases, one from the east and another from the west, without the building, and met at a platform fronting the main entry. In the front over the structure,

was built a steeple, in which was the town clock, which was kept exactly regulated.

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In the MS. life of Alderman Barnes, we have the following account A. D. 1658, "The Exchange was finished, which is an handsome, neat structure, well contrived for the conveniency of merchants, and for the courts of justice, in memory whereof, every alderman had his name cast in one of the chimes set in the steeple of that edifice. That bell which had Alderman Barnes' name upon it, was afterwards removed, and put up in a new chapel erected without the walls, which was St. Ann's Chapel."

A very uncommon circumstance in natural history happened, which we cannot refufe ourselves the pleasure of relating.

In March 1783, a pair of crows who had been expelled by their invidious neighbours from captain Stevenson's trees near the bridge end, on which they had, with others, regularly built their nests, and not willing to quit the town, actually built and reared their young above the weather-cock of the steeple. It was secured on the very top of the iron spire, about which the weather cock moved, by a piece of stick thrust through a small aperture, upon this they laid a foundation so strongly twisted, that although exposed to every blast, and moved round with the weather-cock in all points, it braved every storm; and, for four years, they repeatedly built in the same critical fituation. The novelty of this spectacle drew at first thousands of spectators, some of whom imagined it portentous! However, the year before the steeple gave way, through age, they quitted the dangerous position.

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The TOWN-COURT, or GUILD-HALL in the year 1794, underwent a complete alteration, chiefly in that part which looks towards the Sandhill The whole of the front was entirely cased a-new with stone, as were also the pillars in the Exchange. The remains of the old fsteeple and stair-cafe were entirely taken down; and the present front newly built. It has a good effect as we enter the Sandhill by the Cale-cross. The clock is placed in the front of the building, and chimes at every quarter of an hour.

The statue of Charles II. which stood in the front of the steeple, having been removed there from the Magazine-gate on the bridge, is now placed on the weft corner of the front walk in the Exchange. The cieling has been newly painted, and the court on the whole has a respectable appearance.

THE BRIDGE.

We have in the preceding part of our undertaking, traced the origin of Newcastle to a remote antiquity; and as the river Tyne, which was probably larger then, than now, is impassible for foot or horse, it is rational to suppose that a paffage over the river was among the earliest of their efforts. That it was so, is an indisputed fact recorded in the most authentic hiftories of the town. It is afferted by antiquarians who have attentively traced the Roman military ways, that the original bridge, constituted a part of that road leading from Chester-le-street a-cross the Tyne, and so into the most northerly parts of Scotland. We have already observed that the