and the country around it, is very beautiful. Three persons, two males and one female, have, at different periods within the last few years, thrown themselves off from the top of the Monument, and of course killed themselves by the fall. Upon three sides of the pedestal, at the bottom, there are carved figures, or inscriptions, relative to the great fire it was built to commemorate. The Monument, as well as St. Paul's, forms a very prominent part in the feature of London, view it where you may.

THE THAMES TUNNEL.-We paid a visit to a most extraordinary operation which is going on at Rotherhithe, which is nothing less than to make a tunnel under the bed of the river Thames, instead of a bridge, to allow carriages, horses, cattle, and foot passengers to pass from the Kentish to the Essex side of the river. To any persons except Englishmen the work would have presented insurmountable difficulties, and would never have been attempted; but in 1802, a Cornish miner having been selected for the purpose, operations were commenced three hundred and thirty feet from the Thames, on the Rotherhithe side. Two or three different engineers were engaged and the affair nearly abandoned, until, in 1809, when it was quite given up.

Some few years afterwards a celebrated engineer, Mr. Brunel, the same person who contrived the block machinery at Portsmouth, and the saw

mills at Chatham, undertook to carry it on, and it was proceeded with by means of an ingenious shield that was moved forward with the workmen upon it as fast as the brickwork arch was completed; but having exhausted all the subscribed capital public subscriptions were solicited, and in the early part of 1824 a large sum was raised, sufficient to enable them to proceed with the excavation.

A powerful steam engine, to clear out the springs of water, was erected, and drains were. sunk. In 1827 the river broke through the top into the tunnel, but within a month clay was thrown over the top, and all the water pumped out. Several other similar casualties befel them, and at length application was made to parliament for assistance; and before the expiration of this present year, 1841, the Thames Tunnel will be opened to the public, as they have now (March, 1841) got over all their difficulties, and have only to sink a shaft, and to make the approaches on the Wapping side of the river. The dimensions of the Tunnel will be :-length, thirteen hundred feet; width, thirty-five feet; height, twenty feet; clear width of each archway, including footpath, about fourteen feet; thickness of earth between the crown of the Tunnel and bed of the river, about fifteen feet. This will stand forth as one of the most extraordinary productions ever effected

by man, and a proud monument of British talent and enterprize.

THE ADMIRALTY OFFICE is situated near Charing Cross, between the Treasury and the Horse Guards; and all the transactions of the Royal Navy, the appointments of the dock yards and naval officers, as well as sending out ships in time of war, and the entire management of the is here carried on under the authority of a first lord and six other personages; some of whom, though not ennobled, yet from the virtue of their office are called Lords of the Admiralty.

navy

The front recedes from the street, and there are two wings in connection with it by which a small quadrangular yard is formed. The building is not very handsome, but the interior is capacious and convenient to contain the offices for secretaries, clerks, and other branches of the department. The side wings are appropriated to the residence of the Lords of the Admiralty and the Secretaries, and which are very large and commodious.

The first lord is always a minister of the crown, and is either a member of the House of Commons or a peer, by which he has a right to sit in the House of Lords.

SOMERSET HOUSE stands on the north bank of the Thames, close to the Waterloo Bridge. The old building was erected by the Duke of

Somerset, who was for some years protector of the throne of England. The present noble edifice was erected by the government in the year 1776, for the accommodation of several public offices, on the plan of Sir William Chambers. The front consists of nine arches, and the entrance to it from the Strand is through three open arches. In going through the entrance the building presents a complete square, and we find ourselves in an extensive paved court yard, in the middle of which stands a colossal statue of King George the Third. The appearance of the building from this place is very imposing and grand, and shows the wealth of England. It is quite worthy of the mighty city of London, and may be ranked the first of all the public buildings.

Within this are the offices of the Surveyor of the Navy, Stamps and Taxes, Navy Pay Office, Audit Pay Office, the Poor Law Commissioners' Office, &c. &c. It will be seen that a large government business is carried on in this truly splendid building. The present surveyor of the navy is Sir William Symonds, successor to Sir Robert Seppings, and who has made important changes in the construction of ships, and the elliptic stern, which is now generally adopted in the navy. All the ships in the dock-yards are built upon the plan of the surveyor. There are, connected with this department, a great many clerks, draughtsmen, and

other officials; but the object most worthy of observation is the Model Room, to which admission may be had by applying to the surveyor, or his assistant.

We were very kindly permitted by Sir William to go there at any time, and we have often spent our leisure hours in the Model Room. There are two large rooms, containing beautiful and correct models of all the ships and many steamers that have been built upon his plan; two of which, "The Queen" and the "The Vanguard," are very exquisitely finished.

There are sectional models of different ships, showing the manner of combining and fastening together different parts of ships. Boats of all descriptions, and of a great many variety of forms, are to be seen here. The method of different modes of rigging ships, models of different sorts of made masts and yards, models of anchors, cables, and all sorts of iron works that are necessary in building and equipping a ship of war; and gun carriages of a variety of construction are deposited here in glass cases. Paddle wheels of every invention, with machines for various purposes, such as windlasses, capstans, &c. &c. are got up with the greatest accuracy. There are also very complete models of the block machinery at Portsmouth, made by Mr. Maudesley the engineer, and which are said to have cost two thousand pounds.