ATON HOUSE, the seat of the

entrances to the city of Chester.-The Old Hall was a large plain brick build

VENOR, is distant about three miles and a half South of the city of Chester, on the banks of the river Dee, on a site commanding a varied and luxuriant view into Cheshire, bounded by the Peck forton Hills and Bickerton Hills, and the high lands of the forest of Delamere. The house is built entirely of white stone, in the florid Gothic style of Architecture, and the stabling on the North side gives a very picturesque effect to the whole: the original designs were furnished by M. Pordon. EATON HOUSE contains on the ground floor a com plete suite of rooms, fitted up in the first style of splendour and elegance. The Entrance Hall, which is of spacious dimensions, is paved with variegated marble; the chimney-pieces are beautifully ornamented, and the niches occupied with admirable specimens of tabernacle work. On the East side of this apartment is a mu sic gallery, with a rich antique screen in front, and from the centre descends a highly-wrought branch, to which is attached an immense lamp of massily sculptured brass. On the windows are the numerous armorial bearings of the family in stained glass; and, on the North and West walls, are two large paintings by Mr. West, the earliest historical productions of his pencil, namely, "Cromwell dissolving the Long Parliament," and "the Landing of Charles II." The great rooms are hung with crimson velvet and blue silk, edged with massy draperies of gold fringe. The windows on the East side present whole-length figures of Hugh Lupus, from whom Lord Grosvenor traces his descent, and the other Earls Palatine of Chester previous to the annexation of the Earldom to the crown. The ceilings are, for the most part, groined, and variously interwrought with burnished gold, and gilt springs and brackets. The staircase is finished in a style of uniform grandeur, and costly chandeliers of cut glass light the principal rooms. The paintings are numerous, and by the first masters.

Eaton House stands in the centre of a park well stocked with deer: the several approaches to it are through gateways, similar to the old artificial GENT. MAG. November, 1819.:

by a lanthorn, and curious iron railing; there was a fountain in the front. It was taken down in 1803, and the present structure erected on its site, which was completed in 1813, at an enormous expense; but Lord Grosvenor has it in contemplation, we are informed, to add another wing to the South side, to correspond with the stabling, &c.

The Grosvenors are of ancient and illustrious descent, and have been well known in Cheshire since the Conquest. The present estimable head of the family is descended from Gilbert le Gros, Veneur, or great Huntsman, and kinsman to William the Conqueror, and who followed him into England; previous to which the family had flourished in Normandy with great dignity and grandeur from the time of its first accession to a sovereign Dukedom, A. D. 912, to the Conquest of England in 1066. On the distribution of the lands of the vanquished among the Duke's followers, Robert le Grosvenor had assigned to him the Lordship of Over-Lostock, in Cheshire, where his descendants continued until 1465; sometime after which, Raufe le Grosvenor marrying Joan, daughter and sole heiress of J. Eaton, Esq. of Eaton, it became the family seat, and continues to be so at the present day. Several of the Grosvenors distinguished themselves in Palestine, and in the French Wars under our Henrys and Edwards. W.

PORTRAIT FROM THE LIFE. zees town before the laggard HE zealous Antiquarian Tourist citizens have opened their shops, mounted on a trim poney-his pockets filled with pedigrees in embryo, blank registers, &c.-travels a rapid pace-his eye fixed on some distant spire-his mind full of doubt and apprehension as to his reception-his arrival at the village sets the dogs all barking-then, after having ex plained the nature of his journey, and softened, with modest request, the stern brow of the Vicar-the key is produced which conceals from mortal view the envied treasures- the grating of the binges of the iron chest forming a "concord of sweet

sounds"

sounds" delightful to his ear alonethe appearance of the tattered volumes, without backs, scarcely legible, confused, mangled, presenting to his afflicted sight one dismal mass of horrible confusion-the brief remark of the Vicar, "You'll find nothing worth your notice;" and the Clerk yelping, "Nobody never could read them oulld books." The chilled damp vestry hung with the remains of Oxford Almanacks. A short surplice stained with iron moulds, from the scant skirts of which appears the handle of a cracked utensil.

The Antiquary, after having persuaded the worthy pair to leave him to his destiny, begins his job; draws from a case his penknife, pencils, inkstand, &c.; and, through the fissure of some broken pane, reads undigested dates and broken periods-writes what he sees, and guesses what is left then, after having sacked the chest, he seeks the Vicar-asks multitudinous questions of glebe, tithes, terriers, bells, and monuments, scours round the Church, notes in his book the tapering forms of the windows, &c. To the constant demand of the "Church's age"-gravely declares it cannot be older than one of the early Henrysthis satisfactory reply agrees with the pre-conceived opinion of the Vicar, and the willing Antiquary is led to visit the Parish-school-claps the head boy's head, and gives him sixpence-praises the master's skill-asks many sage queries regarding the foundation-notes what he hearsand departs to visit the village antiquities;-is shewn a well, said to have been a wishing well, now fallen into disuse [since all wishes are so easily gratified];-sees the Old Hallhouse asks who lived there in former days, and receives a mangled account of t'ould squire, young squire, and young squire's sons-sets all down-and now the reflection of nature demands his care-calls for his horse the clerk appears, and, holding with his sinister hand the nether stirrup, the Antiquary, unperceived, slips gently into his welcome grasp a new half-crown-pulls off his hat, and, with a bow teeming with gratitude, salutes the Vicar, and departsrattles a brisk pace along the road, big with the treasures that are contained in his portmanteau, to which he ever and anon turns half round

to certify its safety-be forgets that he has paid the turnpike; or, in his joy and exultation, pays it againthinks where his dates will fit, and ruminates on giving sons to fathers, and marrying sterile virgins. He arrives.

His anxious spouse, full of womanish fears at his lengthened stay, tenderly reproaches his absence, yet seeing the brightened visage of her lord, forbears to chide too long-dinner appears; and, after a few slices from Antiquarian mutton, a few yards of macoroni, and a few glasses of oldest port, his treasures are exposed-backbones of pedigrees are clothed with healthful sinews-vacant blank spaces are filled with smiling progeny, and the dotted skeleton assumes the shape of mortal cognizance and reasonable conclusion-then in a parcel placed, sent by the early stage, to Rowley's dark abode, whose glistening eye wanders over names and dates till now unheard of-scans with a quivering doubt some youthful matches; but, after having tried and proved their virtue, consigns them to NICHOLS and Eternal Fame. A LICENTIATE.

wandering seamen upon myself very frequently. It is only a few days ago two of them came to me at Cuffnells, on their way to Plymouth, without a shilling I was satisfied that prizemoney had been due to both; they gave me most solemn assurances they had not received it; I took receipts, and gave them the money; one of which is returned to me from Greenwich, that the amount had been paid to the claimant himself above a fortnight ago, and I am persuaded the same answer will be returned respecting the other.

"More than 500 Sailors were about the streets of London last winter, for whom (natives and foreigners) the Admiralty had provided passages to their several places of residence, but they alleged they waited for their prize-money, which they could not get, from having lost their certificates; on hearing that, I undertook to attempt to admit proof of identity without their papers; in which I succeeded, and it turned out that a few more than 40 had any prize-money at all due, and the total sum to the whole was under 50%.

"In cases where Seamen have lost their Certificates (which from their carelessness too often happens) their Officers are written to for new ones by the principal officer in the Prize Department here: and even where no Certificates can ultimately be obtained, I admit circumstantial proof where it can be obtained; such as the names of the several officers of the ships to which the men belonged; the names of the men before and after them in the ships books, &c. &c.

Your recommendation to the Seaman you mention, however well-intended, will cost him a long and weary journey, that will prove fruitless, because the Certificate from the Minister can afford no satisfaction of the services of the man in the ship. The best advice that can be given to Seamen is, to address their applications to the Treasurer or Pay-master of the Navy, stating all the circumstances of their cases.

"If you will mention the names of the seaman, and of his ship, an enquiry will be immediately set on foot how a certificate can be obtained for him, and how he can be otherwise identified.

"I have entered more at length on

this subject, as you seem disposed to be generally useful in it. "I am, Sir,

your faithful humble Servant, GEORGE ROSE.

"If the man writes from Liver

pool, his case will be attended to, as all cases are there must be some mistake about his having given the requisite information when he applied at the office.

"GILBERT FLESHER, ESQ.
Towcester."

NUGE ANTIQUÆ. (Continued from p. 305.) LINEN for shirts was not used in

Rome for many years after the Government became despotic; even so late as the eighth century it was not common in Europe.

The first map of the earth was made by Anaximander some ages before Christ.

Spectacles were invented about the end of the 13th century by Alexander Spina, a monk of Pisa.

The Chinese have 11,000 letters in use, and in matters of science they employ 60,000, but articulate sounds do not exceed 30.

There is no mention of writing in the time of Homer. Cyphers, invented in Hindostan, were brought into France from Arabia about the end of the tenth century.

The use of fire-arms helped to introduce less exertion and bodily strength than was practised heretofore.

Giraldus Cambrensis, speaking of the monks of St. Swithin, says that they threw themselves prostrate at the feet of Henry II. and with many tears complained that the Bishop, who was their Abbot, had withdrawn from them three of their usual number of dishes. Henry, having made them acknowledge that there still remained ten dishes, said, that he himself was contented with three, and recommended to the Bishop to reduce thei to that number.

For feasts in temp. Edward IV. a curious dessert was given called sulteltie, a paste moulded into the shape of animals.

From a household book of the Earl of Northumberland in the reign of Henry VIII. it appears, that his family, during winter, fed mostly on salt fish and salt meat, and with that