upon, at the time of the installation of the Knights of the Garter, the ascent to which is by a flight of oak steps, and the view and the perspective of the hall from this platform is very beautiful.

The next room we saw was the state ante-room; some fine tapestry and carved work form the principal decorations of the room; here is also a beautiful painting on glass of King George the Third in his coronation robe, and the ceiling is also beautifully painted, the subject of which is from the heathen Mythology.

Here are some additions made to the castle, consisting of a vestibule and a fine staircase, by the late king; it is in the Elizabethan style of architecture, the walls and the staircase are of Bath stone with steps of Portland stone, and a beautiful statue of George the Fourth, executed by Sir F. Chantrey, is placed here.

The staircase communicates with rooms below, and leads to the quadrangle, this improvement must have cost a large sum of money.

There is belonging to the palace a very curious and singular building called the Round Tower, which is the residence of the governor or constable of the castle. In former times when England was perpetually disturbed with foreign and domestic wars, this edifice was intended for the imprisonment of distinguished men, and many foreign kings, English and other noblemen have suffered captivity within the walls of this building; the last

person that was here confined was a German of the name of Mareschal de Belleisle, in the reign of George the Second.

The Tower stands on an artificial eminence, it is circular and built entirely of stone, the diameter is about 100 feet, and it is upwards of 200 feet in height, there are two hundred steps from the bottom to the top, from whence there is a most extensive and luxuriant view all round; we were told that on a clear sunny day twelve different counties are seen from here.

When the Queen is at Windsor, a flag, which is called the royal standard is hoisted on a staff, the extreme length of which is 73 feet. The flag is 36 feet in length, and 24 feet in breadth. When we looked round from the top we could see but very imperfectly the prospect which it commands in consequence of the day being hazy, and we could not help thinking how charming and delightful a view from such a place would be in India, where there is always a clear sky, and if we may use the term, perpetual Summer.

The beautiful place of worship called St. George's Chapel, where the Queen and others who reside in the castle perform their devotions, is entirely built of stone; the roof which is of the same material, is of an elliptic form, supported by lofty and handsome pillars, the principal entrance is near the west end, and we were very much struck with the neat and elegant appearance of the interior of

this edifice. At the west of the chapel is a monument called the " Cenotaph" of Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of George the Fourth, it is executed in marble, the Princess is represented as sleeping, and her body covered with drapery, but the outline is well preserved, and there are two female figures, deeply bewailing her loss, and absorbed in the deepest grief, the whole is very well executed, and it was a very affecting sight to behold.

The floor is paved with black and white marble, and underneath it is the vault for laying the bodies of members of the royal family; we were told that the bodies are enclosed in coffins and stowed away in this vault.

There is no door or any other entrance to the vault, and it is never opened except to deposit a body, for which an aperture is formed by taking up a few stones of the paved floor, which are replaced soon after. There are many distinguished persons interred here, and marble tablets are placed where they are buried to record the event, as well as to preserve their memories. Close to the altar which is at the east end of the chapel, is the Queen's pew, it is on a raised platform, and very plain in appearance; below the pew is a very beautiful and elaborate piece of steelwork, wrought and most exquisitely finished by the celebrated Quintin Matsys, who was a blacksmith, at Antwerp, and who afterwards dis

tinguished himself in the art of painting. The work consists of a pair of gates between two towers, and is a perfect specimen of its kind.

The joinery and the canopies over the pews, which range on both sides of the chapel are of very good workmanship, and have a great deal of carved work. We admired the whole of the interior of this chapel very much, though the outward appearance is not very pleasing, because it shows signs of decay in some parts. This edifice with all the decorations must have cost a great deal of money, and we remarked to our friend whether he considered it necessary that such grandeur and magnificence was required in a divine place, where men had only to pray to their Creator for the forgiveness of sins; and we were informed by him, that it was the great fondness of architectural beauty in former times that led people to erect costly edifices for worship, but that modern churches are very plainly built, we approve this plan very much, as we think that the money spent on mere beauty may be applied to other more useful and charitable purposes, and relieving the necessities of the poor.

We were next conducted to the royal stable, where we saw the Queen's horses, there were a great many of bay coloured, large, strong English horses; we were informed that there are seventy of them, and are used for driving in the carriage; we also saw a number of ponies and riding horses,

and two carriages, a phaeton and a landau, both of them were without any decoration, they were quite plain, and we should think not very expensive; these two carriages are expressly for her Majesty's own use; she drives in them in the great park, for which purpose they are very slightly constructed. We were told that all the other carriages were in London in consequence of the Queen residing there at the time; we have had the honour of seeing the Queen driving in these carriages, they are very magnificent and costly, and such as we may never perhaps see in our own country.

There is also a very peculiar carriage called the state coach, very beautifully carved and gilt, and is said to have cost upwards of £7000., it was built in 1762, and is made use of on state occasions, such as opening and closing of Parliament and at the coronation.

A room of considerable dimensions called the riding school, and large stables are now building at Windsor for which a sum of £70,000. was voted by the House of Commons last year. This we think was very necessary, because the present stables are by no means handsome or worthy of accommodating royal carriages and horses, as there are a number of small rooms, the largest of which could not contain twenty horses.

The last thing we saw before leaving the castle was the plate room, of which we can but give a very imperfect description. There are two rooms,