40 
Mabjeéts. in natural hiftory. He has 
»amafled much important information ; 
and, among other claims to the gratitude 
of his country, not the leatt contitis in 
having imported a valuable affemblage of 
trees and vegetables, in a ftate to adinit 
_ef propagation, and which, being culti- 
vated m thofe parts of the penintula that 
are moit congenial to thew growth, will 
-render this,expedition as memorable in 
. the annals of agriculture, as in thole of 
moedicine and humanity. It is hoped 
othat the fubdireétor and his coadjutors, 
appointed to carry thefe bleflings to 
Peru, will fhortly return by way of 
Buenos-Ayres, after having accompliihed 
their journey through that vice-royalty, 
~the vice-royalty of Lima, and the dil- 
»tricts of Chili and Charcas; and that 
‘they will bring with them fuch collections 
and obferyations as they have been able 
»to acquire, according to the inftructions 
given by the director, without lofing fight 
-ef the philanthropic commitlion which 
- they received from his Majelty, in the 
plenitude of his zeal for the welfare of . 
_ the huinan race. 
oS piri 
For the Monthly, Magazine. 
EECENT IMPROVEMENTS Of the METRO- 
' POLIS, in the vicINITY of BLOOMS- 
BURY and the FOUNDLING-MOSPITAL. 
HAT a fituation fo convenient for 
- mercantile and legal bufinefs, and 
for. pleatire,.as the neighbourhood of the 
, -Foundlng, Hofpital, fhould fo long have 
continued unbuilt upen, when the. moft 
remote and inaufpicious parts of the town 
have been, molt clofely covered over, has 
been.a fubject. of great furprife. The 
means that were .ufed. by an interefied 
party, by whom the charity was to long 
_ kept from thofe advantages its fituation 
- gommanded, to protract the commence- 
ment ofa plan from which fuchan immenfe 
-Tevenue will now be derived, being over- 
come by the exertions of its friends, the 
buildings were commenced in the year 
1790 in Guilford-fireet, to the eafiward 
of Lamb’s Conduit-ftreet ;.and from that 
ume have been unceafingly profecuted to 
the prefent year. | " 
Very foon after the commencement of 
¢ 
thefe buildings, the proprietor of the 
Doughty eftate adjoining eattward, and 
the late Duke of Bedford to the weft, 
united in carrying into effet thofe plans 
_which haye now revealed themfelves to 
the public; but it will long be a fubjeét 
wt déep regret, that any part of the 
» | Recent Iiiprovements of the Metropolis. 
{feb: 1 > 
fhort-fighted policy which retarded the 
commencement of thefe plans fhould 
have again evinced ittelf, and an injune- 
. tion obtained trom the court of Chan- 
cery to prevent the making, under any 
modifications whatever, a communication 
between Queen-fquare and Guilfords 
fireet ; the inlets to which cannot now, 
. without the.aid of Parliament, be mate- 
rially amended for many centuries; and 
the fquare muft confequently be accetli- 
ble only by the prefent miferable avenues 
from the fouth aud weft. Itis alfo un- 
fortunate, that, from the fame fource of 
, Oppofition, the continuation of Queen- 
{quare of an equal width, was not effect- 
ed to the northern extremity of the 
Foundling eftate, which had been pro- 
jected. 
It is much to be regretted, that the 
»yplan of Mr. Cockerell the architect was 
not adopted—by which the hofjpital was 
to form the centre of one large fquare, 
extending the whole fize of Bruntwick- 
fquare, a correfponding fpace eaftward, 
and to Guilford-ftreet fouthward ; the 
ufelefs dwarf buildings round the hofpital 
. being removed to make way for a noble 
area, defigned to have been drefled, 
planted, and furrounded by irom palifa- 
does, which would then have formed by 
far the grandett {quare in London, anda 
fuperb ornament to the metropolis.- 
Perhaps alfo it may be contidered: un- 
fortunate, that the original intentions of 
the late Duke of Bedford were not car- 
, vied into effect. By thefe it was pro- 
_poted to rebuild the mantion-houfe on a 
magnificent fcale, removed further from 
Bloomibury-fquare, and to radiate» two 
lines of capital houfes northward from. 
thence to the New Read, oti éach fide 
of a lawn of about thirty/acres inclofed 
-and planted, having funk crofs-roads to 
communicate with Gower-lireet. Under 
this impreflion, the new houfes on the 
ealt fide of Ruflell-fquare, and the de- 
tached heufes northward, were built. 
But the fubfequent determination of the 
duke te retide nearer the court produced 
the prefent arrangement; by wluch fo 
great an increafe has already been made 
to his grace’s rental, and which. will fo 
.prodigioufly enlarge the iicome of his 
fucceflors.. - | 
In 1800 Beford-houfe was pulled down, 
_and im 1803 -all the new houfes between 
Ruffell-fquare and Bloomfbury-fquare, on 
the fite of the old houfe and gardens, 
were ereéted; fince 1801, all the new 
buildings, exclufive of thofe already 
inentioned, on what was formerly known 
~ ed - as 
