LON 
To the enftward of the Foundling Hofpital, a fquare is 
begun, of the fame dimenfions as Brunfwick-fquare ; to 
be called Mecklenburg-fquare. Northward of the hof- 
pital-garden, is the dlate of Mr. Harrifon, where a re- 
fpeftable neighbourhood is rapidly forming ; and nearly 
adjoining, is a large field belonging to the Skinners’ Com¬ 
pany, for which extenfive building-plans have been pro¬ 
jected ; but, through fome extraordinary inadvertence, no 
aoreement has been effected, to infure refpeCtabie accedes 
e fther by the fouth, eaft, or weft, fides. 
Oppoiite the Foundling Hofpital is Lamb’s-Gonduit- 
-flreet. We are told that Mr. William Lamb erefted a 
conduit here .in the year 1577, as a refervoir to fupply 
another conduit on Snow-hill. Although we do not find, 
even with feveral maps of London before our eyes, how 
this conduit might have been carried over the vale of Old- 
bourne up to Snow-hill, yet we muft yield to, fuppofed 
better, authorities, and leave the pretended faCt as it is. 
_Of thefe conduits, we meet, in the courfe of our furvey, 
with notices of many, within and without the metropolis; 
and indeed, we find that there was one called the Devil’s 
Conduits which ftood on the weft fide of Queen’s fquare, 
fomewhere about Southampton-row, and fupplied Chrift’s 
Hofpital with water. Yet we have not been able to pro¬ 
cure any print, drawing, or written defcription, of thefe 
forts of conduits. Had they been like the aqueduCts of 
the Greeks and Romans, and thole of Arceuil and Marli 
in France, we finely lliould find remains of them : but we 
verily believe, that at this moment no antiquarian can tell 
\>s, for a certainty, what thele conduits were ! 
Gray’s-Inn-lane, on the eaft of the Foundling Hofpital, 
communicates from Holborn to the fine road which, as a 
continuation of the City Road, leads to f Paddington. It 
has been lately much improved, by being paved to a greater 
extent towards the north, and by the ereclion of feveral 
rows of buildings which unite to exterior elegance all the 
internal advantages requifite for the habitation of genteel 
families. We remark particularly thofe which have been 
erefted, within a few years, under the title of Verulam 
Buildings; but, unlefs we are told that they are particu¬ 
larly and purpoiely built for lawyers and men of learning 
who with not to be difturbed by the buftle of a ftreet, we 
cannot fancy the long and dead lcreen placed before them 
to be a very agreeable profpebt for thofe who inhabit the 
ground-apartments. 
We have mentioned above, p. 36S, that the religious 
eftablilhment of the Sinner Saved, the coal-heaver orator, 
was in this lane. The chapel makes no particular (how : 
it retires gently and modeftly a few feet from the row of 
lioufes on the eaft fide of the ftreet, and bears its title 
and date of exiftence on its plain and unaffetfted front. 
We underftand that fome Elifha (who did not catch the 
mantle of the prophet when falling from the fiery chariot, 
but who may have bought it at the famous auction of which 
all London has heard) is keeping up the firm, and that 
the fpirit of the departed is ftill quickening among the 
living. „ 
Higher up, to the north, we find the Welftt Charity- 
fchool.—The Society of Ancient Britons was originally 
eftablifned on the firft of March, 1714, in honour of the 
birth-day of her royal highnefs Caroline, then princefs of 
Wales, which happened to be coincident to the anniyer- 
fary commemoration of the titular faint of the principality. 
About the year 1718, a few public-fpirited gentlemen of 
Wales, ftimulated by the fame laudable zeal which gave 
birth to this noble inftitution, and obferving that many 
poor children of their unfortunate countrymen, born in 
or near London, were not entitled to any parochial fettle- 
ment, entered into a voluntary fubfcription for fetting up 
and fupporting a fchool in or near London, for inftruft- 
ino-, clothing, and putting forth apprentices, poor children 
defcended of Welfh parents, born in or near London, hav- 
jji o* no parochial fettlement within ten miles of the Royal 
Exchange. The fuhfcriptions at firft being fmall, the fo- 
ciety engaged a room near Hatton Gardeu* and took only 
Vet,. XIII. No. 930. 
D O N# 559 
twelve poor children upon the effablifliment, until then- 
charitable defigns became better known, and the fubferip- 
lions increafed. They afterwards increaled the number to 
forty, until the year 1737, when a fubfcription was begun 
for erecting a fchool on Clerkenwell Green; this was com¬ 
pleted by public generality. The fociety, in the year 
1768, on the recommendation of feveral ladies, enlarged 
their plan, and took fix girls into the iioufe, to be boarded, 
educated, and clothed. The patronage afforded by his 
royal highnefs the prince of Wales, the nobility, gentry, 
and public in general, induced the treafurer and truftees, 
in the year 1771, to attempt a further enlargement of 
their plan, and to undertake, in future, the education and 
entire maintenance of a certain number of boys and girls. 
As the fcliool-houfe on Clerkenwell Green would not ad¬ 
mit of enlargement fufficient for this purpofe, the prefent 
building was begun in 1772, and fectired to the ufe of the 
charity ; and is fufficient to accommodate one hundred 
children. The fchool at prefent fupports 75 boys and 25 
girls; and from the fecretary’s account it appears, that 
10+3 boys and 162 girls had been entered upon the efta- 
biifhment; of the former 627 had been apprenticed with 
a fee, 164 had gone to fea, and 177 to iervice. Of the 
girls, 97 were feat to fervice, and 40 put out apprentices. 
Gray’s Inn, from which this lane received its name, 
occupies the fite of the ancient manor-houfe of Portpool, 
one of the prebends to St. Paul’s cathedral. See Inns of 
Court, vol. xi. p. 83.—The principal entrance is in Hol¬ 
born, though the buildings are fituated at fome diftance 
from the ftreet. There is another entrance to it in Gray’s- 
Inn-lane; part of the weft fide of which is occupied by 
the back of the buildings, and the wall that inclofes the 
gardens. The inn confifts of feveral well-built courts, 
particularly Holborn-court and Gray’s-Inn-fquare; the 
latter of which was built in 1687. But the chief orna¬ 
ment of this inn is the fpacious garden behind it, wliicli 
confifts of gravel-walks between lofty trees, grais-plats, 
agreeable Hopes, and a long terrace, with a portico and 
feats at each end. It is open to the public in the fummer 
feafon. There is, in the afpeft of thele gardens, when, 
on a fummer evening, genteel companies repair thither to 
enjoy an undifturbed hour of converfation, fomething pe¬ 
culiarly plealing, which reminds us of ancient times. 
The entrance into this place is by a handfome iron gate; 
and no improper perfons are admitted 5 and indeed, we 
may beftow this general fprig of praile upon a certain 
dais of our countrymen, that they leldom intrude where 
they fufpefft that they are not really welcome. 
Oppoiite to Gray’s-Inn-lane are the Bars of Holborn, 
the limits of the city-jurifdicStion at this part.—A fmall 
mafs of houles, with a pallage on the fouth, might be 
taken out, and then the appearance of the ftreet at the 
top of Holborn-hill, would be much improved. This 
little paffage is called Middle Row, and communicates to 
Southampton Buildings behind Staple Inn, and leads to 
Chancery-lane. Several ftreets, interfering each other 
1110ft irregularly, form here a fort of labyrinth, the ee^efl’es 
ot which are to Fetter-lane, Curlitor-ltreet, Caltle-ftreet, 
and Chancery-lane. 
Oppofite to Staple Inn is Fui'nival’s Inn; and, cro/fing 
again, we come directly to Bernard’s Inn. Thefe inns or 
chancery have been fully delcribed at p. 82, 84, of vol. xi. 
The chambers of thefe quiet retreats are not occupied by 
lawyers exclufively, but by many other perfons ot retired 
habits, chiefly Angle and independent gentlemen_One 
of the oldeft inhabitants of Bernard’s Inn has been de- 
feribed in a late publication called “London Characters 
and, as the performance gives a general idea of the regular 
habits of a refpectable member of fociety, and may fervs 
to illuftrate the cultoms and manners of fome of our cotera- 
poraries, we ftiall prefent it to our readers. 
“J. M. is a native of Suffolk ; but has been an inhabitant 
of London for thefe laft thirty years. Liberally educated, 
literature and antiquarian purfuits are his hobby-horfe- 
but too fmall an income has reftrained the bent of his foul 
1 k nearly 
