500 



COUTTS COWAL. 



whom he succeeded as director of the academy of 

 fine arts. Among his works the monument of the 

 cardinal Dubois, in the church St Honore, is much 

 esteemed. But he was surpassed by his eldest son, 

 also named Guillaume (bom at Paris, in 1716, where 

 he died in 1777), on whom Joseph II., during his 

 stay in Paris, conferred with his own hands, the 

 order of St Michael. The statues of Venus and 

 Mars, which he made in 1769, for the king of Prus- 

 sia, larger than life, gained universal admiration. 

 His monument of the dauphin and dauphiness, pa- 

 rents of Louis XVI., in the cathedral of Sens, bears 

 the character of majestic simplicity. 



COUTTS, THOMAS ; a London banker, eminent for 

 his wealth and his connexions. He was a native of 

 Scotland, and early in life became partner with his 

 brother in a banking establishment in the Strand, 

 where, by a long life of successful business, he 

 amassed an immense fortune. He died in 1822. 

 He was twice married ; first to Susan Starkie, a 

 female servant of his brother James, by whom he had 

 three daughters Susan, married, in 1796, to George 

 Augustus, third earl of Guildford ; Frances, married, 

 in 1800, to John, first marquis of Bute ; and Sophia, 

 married, in 1793, to Sir Francis Burdett, bart. In 

 1815, his first wife died ; and, three months after- 

 wards, he married Harriet Mellon, an actress at the 

 head of the second class of actresses at Drury-lane. 

 Mr Coutts at his death left her all his property. Mrs 

 Moults subsequently married the duke of St Albans,a 

 young man of an income rather limited for his rank, 

 and less, it is said, than that of any other English 

 duke. So unequal a marriage afforded matter of diver- 

 sion, for a long time, to the English journals. The 

 duchess is said to be a lady of great benevolence. 



COVE of CORK, the name bestowed on the har- 

 bour of Cork, which is situated about nine miles 

 from the city of Cork. It is a spacious basin, 

 completely land-locked and capable of permitting 

 the whole navy of Britain to ride at anchor together 

 in perfect safety and shelter. It is guarded at the 

 entrance, which is a long narrow strait, by the two 

 forts of Camden and Carlisle, and protected within 

 by the fortifications on Spike and Hawlboline, two 

 islands directly opposite to the town of Cove, which 

 greatly diversify the view of the harbour, and where 

 permanent barracks are established. Vessels of the 

 largest class can ride safely close to the shores, and 

 the advantageous position of the asylum for vessels 

 in the West India trade is fully appreciated. 



The town called the Cove consists of one main 

 street and several minor ones, ranging one above 

 the other on the side of a steep hill, and overhang- 

 ing the grand basin. Before the revolutionary war, 

 it was but an inconsiderable fishing-village, but since 

 that period it has grown into populous town, much 

 frequented by invalids. 



COVENANT. See Bond and Contract. 



COVENANT. Soon after the reformation was 

 introduced into Scotland, the Scottish Protestants 

 drew up a confession of faith in 1581, the oath an- 

 nexed to which they called the covenant. It was signed 

 by James I., and again subscribed in 1590 and 1596. 

 After the union of the crowns of Scotland and England 

 (1603),as the Stuarts favoured the episcopal churches, 

 whose hierarchical form seemed fitted to promote 

 their despotic views, the dangers which threatened 

 Presbyterianism brought the followers of Calvin, in 

 Scotland, to a closer union ; and when in 1637, the 

 new liturgy, modelled after the English, was ordered 

 to be introduced into their churches, disturbances 

 arose, which ended in the forming of a new covenant 

 the following year. During the contentions between 

 Charles I. and the parliament, the Protestants in 

 Scotland entered into a " solemn league and cove- 



nant" witli the English parliament, by which (Its 

 independence of the Presbyterian churches was con- 

 firmed. But, on the restoration of the Stuarts, the 

 covenant was formally abolished (1661). This 

 however, only served to confirm the strict Presbyte- 

 rians in their principles, (who were hence called 

 covenanters) so that rebellions were frequent among 

 them, till the establishment of perfect freedom of 

 conscience, in 1689. See Cameroniu/m. 



COVENT GARDEN, a market place in London, 

 which formerly consisted of the garden attached to a 

 convent or religious house. The first theatre erected 

 here was built in 1733. This was burnt to the 

 ground in 1808, but immediately rebuilt from a de- 

 sign by Smirke, at a cost of 300,000, and calculated 

 to contain about 2800 persons. 



COVENTRY ; a city in England, of great anti- 

 quity, the final syllable being evidently the British 

 ire, signifying town. It is situated in the county of 

 Warwick, 91 miles N. W. of London. Parliaments 

 were convened here by the ancient monarchs of 

 England, several of whom occasionally resided in the 

 place. In the civil war of the 17th century, Coven- 

 try was conspicuous for its activity in the parliamen- 

 tary interest. Many of its edifices are highly worthy 

 of attention. St Michael's church is a beautiful spe- 

 cimen of the pointed style of architecture. There 

 are places of worship for Roman Catholics, Indepen- 

 dents, Dissenters, Methodists,Presbyterians, Baptists, 

 and Quakers ; also various charitable institutions, 

 two hospitals, alms-houses, and charity schools. The 

 principal manufactures are those of ribands and 

 watches. A weekly market is held here on Friday ; 

 and there are several fairs, one of which is called the 

 great or show fair, and continues eight days ; on the first 

 day of which is celebrated the grand procession of lady 

 Godiva and her followers. This celebration is founded 

 on the following story : It is said that Leofric, earl 

 of Mercia, who possessed the property of the tolls 

 and services of Coventry, exacted his dues so rigidly, 

 that the inhabitants were greatly aggrieved, and at 

 length Godiva, his pious wife, became their advocate. 

 The earl, wearied by her solicitations, promised to 

 grant her request, if she would ride naked through 

 the town at mid-day. His terms, according to the 

 legend, were accepted, and the countess rode through 

 the town with no covering but her flowing tresses. 

 It is added that she had modestly commanded every 

 person to keep within doors and away from the win- 

 dows, on pain of death, but that one person could 

 not forbear taking a glance, and lost his life for his 

 curiosity. In commemoration of this occurrence, a 

 procession occasionally takes place at the show fair, 

 in which a female of easy purchase rides in a dress 

 of linen closely fitted to her limbs and coloured like 

 them. The curious person who stole the glance is 

 called Peeping Tom, and a wooden image of him is 

 to be seen on a house in the city. The story is first 

 mentioned by Matthew of Westminster, in 1307, that 

 is, 250 years after the time of Leofric and Godiva. 

 Population, in 1831, 27,076. 



COVERED WAY (chemin convert); a space of 

 ground on the edge of the ditch, ranging round the 

 works of a fortification. Its glacis descends, by an easy 

 slope, towards the field. It affords a safe communica- 

 tion round all the works, facilitates sallies and retreats, 

 and the reception of auxiliaries, compels the enemy 

 to begin his operations at a distance, checks his ap- 

 proach and the erection of breach batteries, and its 

 parapet protects the fortifications in its rear. 



COVERTURE. See Husband and Wife. 



COWAL, a district of Argyleshire, forming a pe- 

 ninsula intersected by three arms of the sea, loch 

 Strevin, loch Rieddan, and loch Goil, and com- 

 prising the parishes of Dunoon with Kilmun, Invcr- 



