middle of the quay, the workmen begun on the 20th of May 1765, to clear the ground for building a new Custom-house. This was accordingly finished. It has a handsome front towards the river, is four stories high, and contains a great many feparate and convenient apartments, for tranfacting the extenfive bufinefs daily done. ASSEMBLY ROOMS. Trade has long been the principal purfuit of the people of this town, By the tenor of the indentures of the youth, (as we will afterwards fee) by their prefcribed drefs, victuals, and above all, the powerful influence of example, in which they had conftantly fet before their eyes, the frugality, induftry, charity, and fimplicity of the manners of their virtuous parents, the richness of attire, the foft and delicious luxuries of life, and chiefly the more elegant refinements were confined to the higher ranks of fociety; and therefore balls, affemblies, mafquerades, routs, &c. were kept from the eyes and ears of the youth of this town with a wary and jealous attention. So that for many years the room appropriated to dancing, affemblies, &c. was in the Groat-market, (for which fee page 120) and is far from being either very extenfive, or feemingly adapted for a concourfe of polifhed and opulent people. It has, indeed, been converted of late, as we will fee, to a purpose truly useful. But in proportion as civilization, learning, and foreign intercourfe, diffufed their influence, a taste for the polite amufements of the drama, the dance, the polifh of refined manners, rapidly took place in Newcastle. It It was therefore a general fentiment to have places deftined to these elegant amusements. The Affembly Rooms were for thofe purposes agreed to be built by fubfcription. The fituation fixed on by the committee, was on part of the garden belonging to the vicarage of this town, near the head of Westgateftreet. For this purpofe an act of parliament was obtained 14 George III. to enable Doctor Fawcett, then vicar, to grant a lease of fome part of the ground belonging to this vicarage for 999 years, referving to himself and fucceffors, an annual ground-rent of twenty pounds. A. D. 1773, the fubfcription for building the new Affembly Rooms was opened, when the corporation of this town fubfcribed 200 pounds, and numbers, both in the town and neighbouring counties, came forward with their fupport. The building was finished and cost in all 6701 pounds. * This monument of the taste and liberality of the people of this town was built under the direction of the late Mr. William Newton of Charlotte-fquare, architect, and furpaffes every other public building in * Monday May 16, 1774, at noon, the foundation stone was laid by William Lowes, Efq. in the prefence of a great company of ladies and gentlemen. A plate with the following inscription was put under the stone. In an age When the polite arts By general encouragement and emulation, The firft ftone of this edifice, in Newcastle for elegance of defign and execution of workmanship. It prefents a front adorned with a colonade of fix beautiful pillars, and two handfome wings. A fine grafs plot, with a circular gravel road for carriages in the front. This again is enclosed with painted iron palifades, with lamps. The great room is decorated with feveral fplendid chryftal luftres, manufactured at the glass-houses here, which coft, as is faid, fome hundred pounds each, and give the room, when illuminated, an elegant appearance. Befides the grand faloon, there are a coffee-room, a card-room, and a well chofen but fmall collection of books, Moft of the public daily prints are taken in at the firft of thefe rooms for the ufe of fubfcribers. Such is a fhort description of the Newcastle Affemblyrooms, and of which our readers have a correct and elegantly executed engraving, in the 3d Number of this work. THEATRE-ROYAL, The advocates for the drama affert, that this fpecies of entertainment is the moft refined and elevated of all others; and while it charms and delights, it at the fame time refines and improves, the human heart. There are others, however, endowed with an equal portion of understanding, who do not hesitate to af firm, that an exceffive attachment to theatrical exhibitions has been the ruin of empires, the fubverfion of morals, and the bane of induftry, as well as of do meftic fociety. From the many fevere laws and reftrictions, enacted by our virtuous and prudent forefathers, against ftage-plays, interludes, &c. we can easily judge in what light they viewed theatrical exhibitions; E e |