fine elevations, that we have caused an engraving of it to be made from a drawing by the late Clarendon Smith.*

The length of the city of Coventry, from Hill Street Gate to Gosford Gate, is about three-quarters of a mile, exclusive of the suburbs. The walls, no longer necessary to the preservation of civic security, are completely reduced; but traces of these, and of several of the gates, are yet discernible. The progress of their erection, and the period at which they were demolished, will shortly be noticed. The streets are numerous, and intersect and deviate from each other without any resemblance to regularity of design, but merely as an extension of need required, and a possession of property favoured. Though less has been done towards improvement than might be expected in so populous and commercial a place, some new domestic buildings have lately been raised, and 'these are uniformly substantial, commodious, and eligible. Previous to 1762, many of the streets had but one channel, which ran down the centre. In that year was passed the Scavenger Act, under the regulations of which the thoroughfares meet with a commendable increase of notice.

The religious, and other public edifices of Coventry, are truly worthy of attention. The Churches are three in number. That of St. Michael is a beautiful specimen of the Gothic, or English style. The first mention of a religious building so dedicated on this spot, occurs in the reign of Stephen, at which time Ralph, Earl of Chester, rendered it to the monks of Coventry, by the term of the Chapel of St. Michael. Ralph, the last earl of that name, gave to this church the tithe of his lands and rents in Coventry. The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield shortly claimed the advowson; but, by an agreement between the prior and that prelate, it was arranged that the monks should provide secular priests, and other fit ministers, to serve the several chapels appended to the structure. In the 44th of Henry III. the church was regularly appropriated to the prior and monks. In

Obligingly offered for that purpose by Mr. John Nickson, of Coventry,

the

the year 1291, it was valued, with its chapels, at fifty marks per annum, and the vicarage at eight marks and a half. In 1534, the vicarage was rated at 657. 10s. 6d. per annum, out of which 21. 15s. 4d. were paid annually to the archdeacon of Coventry, for procurations and synodals. The Prior of Coventry, likewise, received a yearly pension of five pounds, and the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield 17. 18s. 4d. The patronage is now vested in the Crown. The chantries founded in this church, and endowed with a yearly revenue for the maintenance of priests, who were daily to sing mass for the souls of the donors, or of persons named by them, were as follow:-Merynton's Chantry, founded by Hugh de Merynton in the 17th of Edward II.-Shepey's Chantry, founded in the 4th of Edward III. by Laurence Shepey, of Coventry, and endowed "with one messuage and iwo shops, for the maintenance of a priest to sing mass daily at the altar of St. Lawrence within the same church, for the soul of the said Laurence, and the souls of his father and mother, Maud, his wife, and others."-Haye's Chantry, founded in the 12th of Richard II. by Henry del Hay, of Coventry, girdler.-Preston's Chantry, founded by John Preston, of Coventry, during his lifetime, in the 13th of Henry IV. for two priests, to sing mass daily at the altars of the Holy Trinity and the Blessed Virgin.— Crosse's Chantry, founded in the 13th of Henry IV. for a priest to sing mass at the altar of St. Katherine.-Pyseford's Chantry, founded by one William Pyseford, but at what period is not ascertained. The revenue, in the 37th of Henry VIII. was 261. 9s. and it is pleasing to find that the superstitious zeal created in the donor's mind by the force of custom, was blended with a charitable inclination, the offspring of genuine philan throphy-the larger portion of the income was dedicated to the assistance of six poor men and their wives, who had been honest householders within the city, and had fallen to decay. Two other

John Crosse was mayor of Coventry in 1394. He erected a font in this church; and afterwards, in conjunction with other citizens, began the building of St. Mary's Hall.

other chantries are likewise known to have existed, termed the Taylor's and Sherman's, and Tate's; but only little is ascer tained concerning their character.

The most ancient part of the present fine structure is the stee ple, which was begun in 1373, and was finished in 1895. It was built at the charge of William and Adam Botoner, who were several times mayors of Coventry, and who are said to have expended on this work one hundred pounds per annum till it was completed. An elevation more delicate in symmetry, more ohastely ornamented, or more striking in general character, was, perhaps, never designed by the great school of builders who ranged, without restraint of rule, over all the beauties which genius could combine for the purpose of effect or display. It commences in a square tower, no portion of which remains blank, though not any superfluous ornament is introduced. The windows are well proportioned, and the buttresses eminently light, In various niches are introduced the figures of saints; and each - division is enriched with a bold, but not redundant, spread of embroidery work and embossed carving. This tower is 136 feet three inches in height; and on it stands an octagonal prism, 32 feet six inches high, which is supported by eight springing arches, of graceful and easy character. The octagon is surmounted by a battlement, from within which proceeds a spire, . 130 feet nine inches in height, adorned with fluting, and embossed pilasterwise. The walls of the spire are said by .Beighton, "to be 17 inches thick at the bottom, and so finely tapered, as to recline but 41 degrees from the perpendicular.' The beauties of the steeple are so evident to the common eye, that they need no aphorism of the scientific to impress them on the attention; but it may be observed that, according to local tradition, Sir Christophen Wren pronounced the structure a master-piece of the art of building.

The body of the church is usually supposed to have been erected in the time of Henry VI.; and, from the character of the architecture, it is probable that the chief parts were constructed