432 LON 
and Induftr'y. The weftern angle is filled by the Thames, 
and the eaftern by the Ganges; indicative of their refpec- 
tive pofitions. On the apex of this pediment isapedeftal, 
on which is Britannia feated by her lion, and holding in 
her left hand a fpear with a cap of liberty upon it. Above 
one extremity of the portico is Europe, feated on a horfe; 
and, above the other, Afia, on a camel. 
Such is the defign of this grand entrance, which is cer¬ 
tainly one of the principal ornaments of the city; but 
which is not without faults. Every one is aftonifhed 
at the glaring impropriety of putting the buckler of pro¬ 
tection in the king’s right hand, and the fword in his left; 
a miftake, which, a century or two hence, may caufe the 
beholders to fuppofe, and the antiquaries of that time 
gravely to decide, that George III. was left-handed. It 
is inipoffible to guefs where fuch a miftake originated, or 
to juftify its having been allowed to remain. However, 
when the fpeCtator grows too angry at the blunder, he 
may turn his back, and then he will find all right if he 
looks at the reflexion of the bas-relief in the fhop-window 
oppofite to the building. We mud not cavil at the in¬ 
troduction of Integrity, juft: by Indujlry, in this complicated 
group of figures; for it is meet file ftiould be there, if no¬ 
where elfe. 
Under the portico is the door of the hall, from which 
a long paflage leads to a court, furrcunded by of¬ 
fices for different purpofes. In it are two of Tippoo’s 
long tiger-guns, the muzzles of which are moulded to re- 
p relent the extended jaws of that ferocious animal; the 
workmanftiip of thefe pieces is worthy of admiration. 
The court-room is on the right of the entrance; it is 
very elegantly fitted up, and well lighted by two rows of 
windows on the left-hand fide. The chimney-piece is of 
fine white marble, the cornice of which is fupported by 
two caryatides of ftatuary marble, on pilafters of veined 
marble. Above this is an emblematical defign, in fine 
white marble, reprefenting Britannia feated on a globe, 
under a rock, by the fea-fide, with a trident in her left 
hand, and her right arm on a fhield, bearing the union 
crofs. Behind her are two boys; one leaning on a cor¬ 
nucopia, the other playing with its contents. Before her 
are three female figures: The firft, reprefenting India, 
offers her a cafket of jewels, from which a firing of dia¬ 
monds is hanging down ; next is Afia, holding a cenferin 
one hand, and the bridle of a camel in the other; the third 
figure reprefents Africa, decorated with the fpoils of an 
elephant, and one hand refting on the head of a lion. On 
the (bore is the god of the Thames, holding a rudder in 
his right hand, and a cornucopia in his left. Above all 
are the company’s arms, taftefully decorated. In this 
room are elegant paintings of Fort St. George, Bombay, 
Fort William, Tellicherry, the Cape of Good Hope, and 
St. Helena. There are many other good paintings in the 
different rooms, particularly two portraits of marquis 
Cornwallis and governor Haftings, in the room for the 
committee of correfpondence, both bequeathed to the 
company by William Larkin, efq. In the upper ftory of 
the building is a room fitted up as a library, in which a 
collection of books in all the oriental languages is forming. 
It is already rich in fpecimens of Hindooftanee, Per- 
fian, and Chinefe, mahufcripts and printed works, and 
contains a complete fet of the materials for printing a 
book in the Chinefe language; confiding not only of the 
blocks with which each page is printed, but alfo of the 
tools for cutting them ; the ink, prefs, See. Here is alfo 
a mufeum of natural curiofities, and feveral fpecimens of 
antiquities, particularly the Roman pavement,lately found 
before the houfe in Leadenhail-ftreet.—One of the princi¬ 
pal and richeft curiofities of this mufeum is the head of 
a tiger, the natural (ize, in maftive gold. The eyes are made 
out of a lingular precious (tone, and the teeth are of the 
fineftcryftal; the tongue is moveable. This belonged to the 
unfortunate and ill-ad vifed Tipoo; and tiled to ftand in one 
of his molt favourite apartments. It is faid that, when 
£tny order was ifl'ued from his hand, the paper was placed 
DON. 
in the tiger’s mouth as a letter-box for his flaves to take 
it and carry it to its addrefs. We cannot fay here, Mate- 
riem fuperabat opus, (“The beauty of the workmanlhip 
furpafled the value of the materials;”) for the head is 
coarfely and unmeaningly executed,—A fingular piece of 
mechanifm is alfo thown in this room. It is the repre- 
fentation in wood of a tiger devouring an European; a 
pleating fubjeCl for the defpot of Myfore’s fpeculations ; 
but what adds to the barbarous horror of the group, is 
a fort of organ concealed in the body of the animal, which, 
when fet to play, imitates, by melancholy ftarts and dread¬ 
ful intervals, the fereams of the man and the roaring of 
the beaft.—The colours taken at Seringapatam are alfo 
depofited here; and a great number of curious Hindoo 
idols deferve the attention of the vifitor. 
The firft object worthy of our attention on the weft of 
Lime-ftreet, which gives a name to the ward, is Leaden- 
Hall, now converted into a market. It was originally 
a manor-houfe, belonging to fir Hugh Neville, in the year 
1309; and was putchafed by the munificent Whittington 
in 14.08, who afterwards prefented it to the city. In 14.19, 
fir Simon Eyre ereCted a public granary here, built with 
ftene, in its preffnt form. He alfo built a chapel within 
the fquare, which he intended to apply to the ufes of a 
foundation for a warden, fix fecular priefts, fix clerks, and 
twm chorifters; and alfo for three fchooLmafters; and he 
left three thoufand marks to the Drapers’ Company to 
fulfil his intent, which was never executed ; but, in 1466, 
there was a fraternity of fixty priefts here, founded by 
William Roufe, and two others, feme of whom celebrated 
divine fervice to the market-people daily. But this houfe 
was ufed for many other purpofes ; anciently it was the city 
arfenal, and, from its Itrength, it was confidered as the 
chief fortrefs within the city, in cafe of popular tumults. 
Stow lays, that in his youth, the common beam for weigh¬ 
ing wool and other wares was in a part of the north qua¬ 
drant, on the eaft fide of the north gate; on the weft fide 
of the gate were feales to weigh meal. The other three 
fides were referved, for the molt part, to the making and 
refting of the pageants Ihowed at Midfuinmer, in the watch. 
The remnant of the fides and quadrants were employed 
for the ftowage of wool-lacks, but not clofed up. The 
lofts above were partly ufed by painters in working for 
the decking of pageants and other devices; and the refi- 
due was let to merchants and to woolwinders and packers, 
to wind and pack their wool therein. 
In its prelent ftate it is ufed as a market for provifions 
and various other articles 5 and is fuppofed to be the greatelfc 
in London for the fale of country-killed meat, and the 
only lkin and leather-market within the bills of mortality. 
The whole conlilts of three courts or yards; the firft: of 
which is that at the north-eaft corner of Gracechurch, open¬ 
ing into Leadenhail-ftreet. It contains a great number of 
ftalls or handings for butchers ; and, as there is but little 
meat fold here except beef, it is diltinguilhed by the name 
of the Beef-market. On Tuefdays this yard is a market 
for leather; on Thurfdays the waggons from Colchefter 
and other parts come with baize, &c. and alfo the fellmoiv- 
gers with their wool; on Fridays it is a market for raw¬ 
hides; and on Saturdays, for beef.—The fecond market- 
yard is called the Green-yard, as being once a green plot 
of ground; afterwards it was the city’s ftore-yard for ma¬ 
terials for building and the like, but now a market for 
veal, mutton, lamb, &c. This yard has in it a hundred 
and forty ftalls, all covered over, and of the fize of thofe 
in the beef-market. In the middle of this green-yard- 
market, is a row of (hops, with rooms over them, for fifh- 
mongers; and alfo on the louth fide and weft end are 
houles and (hops for fifh-mongers. Towards the eaft end 
of this yard is ereCted a market-houfe. Handing upon co¬ 
lumns, with vaults underneath, and rooms above, with 
a bell-tower and a clock; and under it are butchers’ flails. 
The tenements round about this yard, are, for the 1110ft 
part inhabited by cooks, victuallers, and fuch-like; and 
in the pallhges, leading out of the ftreets into this marker, 
are 
