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HOWICK HALL,-NORTHUMBERLAND.

Pleasantly situated on the Northumbrian coast, at the distance of four miles from Alnwick, is Howick Hall, the seat of Earl Grey; whose family have held possession of the manor of Howick for several centuries.

Sir Henry Grey, Bart., one of the ancestors of the present Earl, erected the parish church; a neat edifice, without a tower, and in the Greek style, standing on the margin of a brook that skirts the lawn of the manorial house. He also founded a free-school for the children of his tenants; and endowed it with ten pounds per annum, chargeable on the Howick estate. This endowment was augmented with a rent-charge of thirteen pounds, by Mrs. Magdalen Grey. The school-room has been recently rebuilt; and in addition to the former grants, the master now receives five pounds per annum from the present Earl. The old tower of Howick, mentioned by Leland, is entered by a flight of steps, and is still a goodly structure. In its immediate vicinity are the remains of a Roman encampment; and more than half a century ago, many relics of "the eternal city" were here discovered, and removed into the antiquary's cabinet.

Howick Hall, the modern building, was erected towards the close of the eighteenth century, under the direction of Mr. Newton, of Newcastle. Within the last eight years, the furniture and internal decorations have been renewed, and the wings of the edifice united to the centre by intermediate buildings. The gateways have been altered, and new approaches made to the hall; the lawn has also been broken, and disposed in better style. The west front of this elegant mansion is seen to great advantage in the view before us; and forms, with the wings and connecting buildings, an imposing and splendid coup d'œil. The lawn sweeps in a magnificent slope to the margin of a fine trout water; which, after flowing through the shrubberies and plantations, passes away by a gentle fall. The gardens are perfect "realms of fairy," enriched with every species of native flowers and exotics, on which Flora has bestowed a more than ordinary richness of scent, or beauty of appearance.

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Into this calm, yet princely retreat, Earl Grey may occasionally retire from the tumult of applauding multitudes, and the fatigues of legislative duty; but again and again he will be called from the scene of quiet, as was the Roman dictator of old, to resume the management of national affairs, and to conserve the interests of his country. In the Biographical Sketches of the Reform Ministers," Mr. Jones gives a faithful summary of Earl Grey's character in so few words, and in terms so apposite, that with it we conclude our notices of Howick Hall." He has, says the author, " eloquence of the highest and rarest stamp-instinct with deliberative wisdom and classic fire, set off by a personal delivery, at once popular and noble; and an exalted integrity of character, upon which calumny has never ventured to breathe."

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ALNWICK CASTLE,-NORTHUMBERLAND.

Alnwick Castle, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland, occupies an eminence on the south side of the river Aln, directly opposite to the town of Alnwick. It was probably founded by the Romans; but no part of the original structure is now remaining.

In the reign of William Rufus, Malcolm III. of Scotland having laid siege to the fortress, one of the garrison rode forth completely armed, with the keys of the castle tied to the end of a spear; and presented himself humbly before Malcolm, as being come to make surrender. The latter went forward to meet him, and instantly received a mortal wound; while the assailant, by the fleetness of his horse, escaped through the river Aln. The name of this bold adventurer was Hammond; and the place of his passage was long known by the name of Hammond's Ford. Malcolm's defeat is commemorated by a cross, erected about a mile from Alnwick, called Malcolm's Cross.

In 1750, by the death of Algernon, Duke of Somerset, this ancient edifice, with all the estates of the barony, devolved upon the late Duke of Northumberland, who immediately began to repair the castle. These renovations were conducted with such consummate taste and judgment, as to render this structure a splendid model of an ancient baronial residence.

Nothing can be more striking than the entrance within the walls of this castle, from the town. Passing through a dark gateway of considerable length, the splendid and stupendous fabric, at once bursts upon the sight. It is not possible, in the brief space allotted us, minutely to describe the interior. The saloon is designed in the most magnificent style of gothic architecture. The dining-room and drawing-room are on a similar scale of elegance and grandeur; and the library includes a rich collection of rare and valuable works. The chapel is inimitably fine; and embellished throughout with highly decorative gothic work. The ceiling, copied from that of a chapel in King's College, Cambridge and the east window, taken from the one in York Cathedral-are most superb. The walls are painted in a manner similar to those of the great church at Milan.

Our view, taken from a woody elevation on the banks of the Aln river, discovers the beautiful gothic bridge erected by the Duke of Northumberland. Raised on a lofty eminence, the castle appears to look proudly down on the surrounding country, as though conscious of having been, for upwards of five hundred years, the residence of the Percys.

CARLISLE,-CUMBERLAND.

Carlisle is delightfully situated on a rising ground in the midst of extensive and fertile meadows, bounded by the distant mountains, and watered by the rivers Eden, Caldew, and Peteril.

Carlisle is still surrounded by the ancient walls, which are entered by three gates, respectively named after the three kingdoms. The castle and cathedral possess a powerful interest arising from historical associations. The former occupies the north-west angle of the city, and consists of an outer and inner ward. Within the citadel is a deep well, traditionally said to have been sunk by the Romans. Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned here, and the apartments she occupied are still shown. The cathedral is chiefly remarkable for its east window, the largest in the kingdom; and for the choir, a beautiful specimen of gothic architecture in the pointed style. Hadrian's wall, better known by the name of the Picts' Wall, extending from the Tyne to Solway Frith, passes Carlisle at the distance of about half a mile on the north. The entrance to the city from the south is rendered striking by two magnificent circular towers, erected on the site of those which formerly defended the English gate of the city. These structures were raised in 1812, from designs by R. Smirke, Esq., architect, and are used as court-houses for the county.

Since the union with Scotland, Carlisle has improved rapidly; and it is now little inferior to any town of similar size in the kingdom. Its manufactures of cotton, linen, woollen, and leather, together with several founderies and breweries, give employment to about two-fifths of the inhabitants. The navigable canal to the Solway, opened in 1823, has added many facilities to the manufacturing and commercial interests. Besides the weekly markets on Wednesday and Saturday, numerous fairs are held in Carlisle for the sale of cattle and agricultural produce. The great show-fair for oxen, &c. takes place in April, when cattle are brought in from all parts of Scotland, and prizes distributed by the Agricultural Society.

The church of St. Cuthbert, rebuilt in 1778, is a fine ecclesiastical edifice. A handsome bridge of white free-stone was, in 1812, erected over the Eden, after a design by R. Smirke, and at an expense of £70,000. Carlisle is provided with a commercial newsroom, an academy of arts, a mechanics' institution, and a theatre.

The illustrative view taken from Etterby Scar, comprehends the castle and cathedral; and discovers the river Eden skirting the eminence, forming the foreground of the scene. "The lowing herd” are ruminating in the rich meadows, bounded by the distant hills; and the patient anglers complete this picture of rural quietude and olden grandeur.

COCKERMOUTH,-CUMBERLAND.

Cockermouth is pleasantly seated in a narrow valley, at the mouth of the Cocker, by which river it is divided into two parts, united, however, by a bridge of one arch. The church, market-place, and castle stand on the east side, and the remaining portion of the town is on the south-west. The buildings and avenues are very irregularly constructed; with the exception of the street ascending to the castle gate, and that leading to Derwent bridge.

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