passing through several hands, it was purchased, as a matter of speculation, by a tradesman, who took down the house and disposed of the materials. A large portion of the estate was afterwards purchased by Alexander Copland, Esq. the present proprietor, who has built, partly on the site of the ancient mansion, a desirable villa. The grounds comprise more than 70 acres, and are adorned by two fine sheets of water. There is rather a want of wood on some parts of these premises; but there are numerous cedars of Libanus, flourishing and beautiful, which are supposed to have been planted by Kent, who laid out the gardens shortly after the year 1740. The forcing-houses, pinery, &c. are on a very extensive scale; and here are found those elegant appendages of a mansion,-warm and cold baths. On a part of the terrace which ran before the house built by the architect Webb,* is a second villa, erected a few years back, by Stephen Cosser, Esq. and now the property and residence of Major Morison. It may be worthy of remark that Mr. Edwards, author of the Canons of Criticism,+ passed some years in the early part of his life at Pitshanger in this parish; and few will recollect with indifference that Henry Fielding, the Cervantes of England, resided occasionally, during the last mournful year of his life, at Fordhock, situated on the Uxbridge road, at the distance of about half a mile from the village of Acton. Fielding, whose pen had been the source of so much heartfelt mirth, was now oppressed by a complication of disorders which threw a cloud over his fancy, and would have subjugated the whole powers of a mind less vivacious and elastic. As a last and forlorn hope, he was advised to seek Y 2 the That mansion chiefly occupied the space between the two present houses. The death of this ingenious writer is noticed in our account of Parson's Green. Vide Ante, p. 107. the mild climate of Lisbon. He passed the night before the commencement of this voyage, at his country retirement, in the society of his children; and the feelings of such a man in so touching an hour as that of a departure from his family, demand the topographer's attention, while pausing over the spot on which the trial of fortitude occurred. The following are his own words, proceeding warmly from the closest recess of his bosom, as he slowly sailed towards the port whence he was never to return: " Wednesday, June 26, 1754.- On this day, the most melancholy sun I had ever beheld arose, and found me awake at my house at Fordhook. By the light of this sun, I was, in my own opinion, last to behold and take leave of some of those creatures on whom I doated with a mother-like fondness, guided by nature and passion, and uncured and unhardened by all the doctrine of that philosophical school where I had learnt to bear pains and to despise death. In this situation, as I could not conquer nature, I submitted entirely to her, and she made as great fool of me as she had ever done of any woman whatsoever under pretence of giving me leave to enjoy, she drew me in to suffer the company of my little ones, during eight hours; and I doubt not whether, in that time, I did not undergo more than in all my distemper. "At twelve precisely my coach was at the door, which was no sooner told me than I kissed my children round, and went into it with some little resolution. My wife, who behaved more like a heroine and philosopher, though at the same time the tenderest mother in the world, and my eldest daughter, followed me; some friends went with us, and others here took their leave; and I heard my behaviour applauded, with many murmurs and praises to which I well knew I had no title; as all other such philosophers may, if they have any modesty, confess on the like occasions."* The *.* Journal of a voyage to Lisbon, by the late Henry Fielding, Esq. p. 43—45. This journal was chiefly written by Fielding during his voyage, and was published after his death, for the benefit of his family. The Parish Church of Ealing is a spacious brick structure, erected on the site of an old church, which fell down on the 27th of March, 1729. The present building was more than ten years in progress, and was not opened till Trinity Sunday, 1740. The interior is in the form of an oblong square, with galleries at the two sides and at the west end. Over the latter is a small organ, given by Mrs. Fisher, of Ealing Park, in the year 1804. The font is of veined marble, and is placed near the reading-desk, in the eastern part of the nave. On the north wall is an ancient brass, with kneeling figures, and an inscription to " Richard Amondesham, otherwise called Aunsham, mercer, and merchant of the staple of Calys." The date is obliterated, or omitted, but the monument would appear to be of the latter part of the 15th century. Towards the west end of the same wall is an oval tablet, with a curled snake, the emblem of eternity, round the edge, to the memory of Robert Orme, Esq. who resided for some time at Ealing. On the tablet is the following inscription: "Sacred to the memory of Robert Orme; a man endeared to his friends by the gentleness of his manners, and respected by the public as the elegant historian of the military transactions of the British nation in India. - Ob. 13 January, 1801, ætat. 73." On the south wall is a small square tablet, with sculptured hour-glass, and other emblems of mortality, to the memory of Richard Taverner, Esquire,* vicar of this parish, who died in 1638. In the chancel, among other monuments, is one to different branches of the Gulston family. The following eminent persons are likewise buried at Faling, thongh without suitable memorials. Sir John Maynard, Knt. whom we have noticed in our account of Gunnersbury; died 1690. John Oldmixon, the historical and political writer, (1742). Dr. William King, Principal of St, Mary Hall, Oxford, whom we have already mentioned as a native of Stepney. Dr. King died in 1764, and directed that his heart, enclosed in Y 3 Mentioned by Newcourt as Richard Tavernor, A. M. in a silver case, should be deposited in St. Mary Hall, and his other remains be interred at Ealing. Sir Frederick Morton Eden, Bart. the very able author of the work intituled “ The State of the Poor, or an History of the Labouring Classes in England, from the Conquest," is buried in a vault beneath the church. He died in 1809. John Horne Tooke, the learned author of the "Diversions of Purley," who died in 1812, directed his remains to be enclosed in a tomb prepared by him in his garden at Wimbledon. But it was found inconvenient to comply with this desire, and he lies buried at Ealing. His funeral was attended by Sir Francis Burdett, and many other literary and political friends. The benefice of Ealing is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Bishop of London; and the church is subject to the ju risdiction of that prelate only, or his commissary. John Bowman, B. D. who died in 1629, founded a lectureship in this church, which he endowed with 401. per annum. There is, in the village of Ealing, a small place of meeting for Methodists. On the border of the Uxbridge road, near the entrance of the village, are four almshouses, built in 1783, as habitations for poor families belonging to the parish, with part of a sum of money given by Henry Beaufoy, Esq. as a compensation for enclosing a piece of waste land. Here is a Charity School for boy's, to which Lady Capel, who died in 1721, gave one-twelfth part of an estate in Kent, which portion of the estate now produces the annual sum of 371. 10s. Several liberal bequests have since occurred, and 20 boys are now clothed and instructed, with the aid of voluntary subscriptions and an annual charity sermon. A School for Girls was established at Ealing about the year 1712, in consequence of a bequest of 5001. for that purpose, made by Lady Jane Rawlinson. The institution has since been favoured with several gifts and bequests, and 20 girls are now instructed and clotned, with the assistance of a collection at a charity sermon. OLD OLD BRENTFORD, a populous hamlet of this parish, comprises the eastern, and perhaps larger, portion of the town generally understood by the name of Brentford, Seated on the great western road, and composed chiefly of ordinary houses, inhabited by persons depending on the traffic of the thoroughfare, this division of the parish would appear to have few demands on the examiner's attention; yet there are some circumstances connected with the place which must needs prove interesting to the Geologist. In this neighbourhood have recently been found some of those organic remains which form the tacit memorials of ages quite unknown, and which are calculated to excite an ardour of curiosity that it would be difficult to gratify, by rational deduction. An account of these discoveries was written by the late Mr. W. K. Trimmer, and is inserted in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1813, accompanied by a letter from the brother of that gentleman, stating the decease of the author shortly after he had prepared his papers for public inspection. The account may be deemed the more valuable, from the circumstance of Sir Joseph Banks having witnessed the progress of the investiga tion, in its principal stages. The following appear to be the more important points of the intelligence conveyed. The specimens of organic remains discovered near Brentford were found on digging clay, under the direction of Mr. Trimmer, for the manufacture of bricks and tiles. They were discovered in two fields, which were not contiguous to each other. The first field in which the earth was perforated is about half a mile north of the Thames at Kew Bridge, its surface being about twenty-five feet above the Thames, at low The strata on this spot are thus described:-first, sandy loam, from six to seven feet in depth, the lower two feet being slightly calcareous; second, sandy gravel, a few inches only in thickness; third, loam, slightly calcareous, from one to five feet in depth; between this and the next stratum, peat frequently intervenes in small patches; fourth, gravel water. Y 4 |