These are working models, and have been exhibited at the Polytechnic Institution by the application of steam.

All the things that will interest a naval architect, or illustrate any branch of ship-building, are to be found here. Some very good specimens of petrified wood, and specimens with foliage of all sorts of timber from the four quarters of the globe, are systematically arranged, which is extremely useful and instructive to one who is fond of botanical pursuits.

The whole of these are valued at about a hundred thousand pounds, and additions are made almost every day to this valuable and scientific collection, and an extension of rooms will be necessary in a short time. We must here state that it has been principally done by Sir William Symonds, who, on being appointed to the surveyorship, made many augmentations to the original collection, and caused it to be systematically arranged. It is now considered to be the finest Model Room in the world.

Before quitting this subject, we must be allowed to offer our sincere thanks to the talented surveyor, Sir William Symonds, and his excellent and kind-hearted assistant, John Edye, Esq., for the kindness and attention we have received at their hands, and the valuable advice they gave us as to the best mode of obtaining information in our profession.

THE TOWER OF LONDON.-The Tower of London is upon the bank of the Thames, on the eminence called the Tower Hill; it has a broad piece of water round it, and a drawbridge, by which you enter it.

The most ancient part is said to have been built eight hundred years ago. Within these walls persons called traitors, or those who endeavoured to promote rebellion, were kept in prison; and upon Tower Hill very many noblemen and gentlemen were in ancient times beheaded for treason. The Governor of the Tower is always a man of some importance, and the present governor is the Duke of Wellington.

The Horse Armoury in the Tower is well worth inspection, and all the former Kings and Queens of England are here arranged in the regular chronological order, on horseback. The representations of some of these are in the very armours which they wore; and we were here very forcibly put in mind of, once our own country, Persia, where this iron clothing was made use of; but alas! we have no remains of them, all we know is from historical works, and here we were capable of forming a distinct idea of what armour was. Some of them were very beautifully inlaid with gold, and the room where the equestrian figures are deposited is one hundred and thirty feet long and thirty feet wide, and the figures are about twenty in number.

The walls and ceilings of this room are very beautifully decorated with a great many devices formed principally with old implements of wars.

Queen Elizabeth's Armoury is in the White Tower, and the walls of this building are seventeen feet six inches in substance. Here we saw a great many instruments of war, some of them of the most torturing and cruel nature.

In another building is what is called the Train of Artillery, which is nearly three hundred and fifty feet, and a great many arms are deposited here in large chests. In a portion, which is cut off by a partition from the whole length of the room, are a great many guns and cannons of brass and iron, and some of them are very elaborately cast. From this room you ascend a fine staircase, which leads to a noble room three hundred and forty-five feet in length. We were very much struck with the appearance of this repository of arms; and the arrangement is so complete that it is difficult to give a description of it: for here are one hundred and fifty thousand arms, all newly flinted and ready for immediate service; and this enormous quantity is so well disposed that every one of them can be very easily got at. The walls and the ceiling of this room are very handsomely decorated with devices of old arms, such as cutlasses, swords, pistols, &c., representing stars, crowns, and many other pretty groups. The perspective of the room, from one end to

the other, is also very beautiful, and we were quite repaid for our trouble in going to see the Tower.

There is one part of the Tower to which the public are admitted at the payment of one shilling; where the regalia, consisting of the crown and the other various jewels that are and have been used for coronations and other state occasions in England are kept.

The crown made for her Majesty's coronation is also here, and a beautiful salt-cellar which is used on the royal table at the day of the coronation; it is a model of the tower, and is an excellent piece of workmanship. The whole of the jewellery in this room is valued at three million pounds. The admission to the Horse Armoury is one shilling, and proper persons are kept purposely to conduct the visitors all round, and acquaint them with the particulars of all that is shown them.

We cannot conclude our journal without speaking of that most useful and important institution, called the Bank of England, which is not however as many persons imagine a bank belonging to the government, it is the property of such parties as are the owners of bank stock, as it is called. Originally when it was first established by royal charter, 27th July, 1694, parties who were the then proprietors, deposited certain sums of money and received an acknowledgement for every £100.

which acknowledgement is transferable and sold in the public stock or money-market, and the persons who hold who hold a certain number of these securities are eligible to become Directors or Managers of the Bank, and all persons who hold any of this sort of property, are entitled annually to vote for persons who are qualified to fill the before named offices which are as follows:-there is a governor, deputy-governor, and twenty-four directors. They give employment to several hundreds of persons, including cashiers, clerks, and porters. The bank is an immense pile of buildings in Threadneedle Street, and is nearly opposite to the Mansion House, at the bottom of Cheapside, and facing the spot where the new Royal Exchange is building for the meeting together of merchants for the transaction of their daily business. The exterior walls of the Bank measure three hundred and sixty-five feet on the southern side; four hundred and forty feet on the western side; four hundred and ten feet on the northern side; and two hundred and forty-five feet on the eastern side. The charter was granted to the Bank of England, in consequence of the first proprietors lending £1,200,000. to the government. The charter of the Bank of England prohibits them from dealing in any goods or merchandise, but they may deal in bills of exchange, bullion, foreign gold, silver coin, &c., and may lend money on pawns or pledges, and sell