The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-09-05 00:00:00

ruin, Roman ; others hive talkd it British ; but
Camden, and the generality of the be,t writers, have
as sihed it to the Saxons.
But the deficiency of strong posts throughout thi
country was still observable ; and to thi, we muse
probably attribute the defeat of liar .Id ; since,
without them. it became nece,sary that all should be
risked upon the is►ue of a single battle. William
the Conqueror, it appears, saw the del,s, and, like
4 skilful general, supplied it. He seams to hare
raised them in abundance ; and throe which were
not entirely new, he appears to have newly model-
led The Norman system of cactellation, it should
seem, materiaily differed from the Saxon ; and, as
in the civil, so in the military architedure of the
time, the proportions of the ♦arious parts appear to
have been enlarged. The general shape or plan
was far less simple than ameng the Saxons, and de-
pended entirely upon the caprice of the architeds, or
on the ground intended to he occupied. The towers,
it we may judge from our castelia ed ruins, were not
confined to any particular figure, hut in the original
parts of the same building appear to have been
square, or round, or polygonal, as suited the fancy
of the builder. It has ben supposed by some, that,
indifferent parts of the kingdom, our ancient castles
are marked by an appropriate charades; but this
appears nut generally to have been the case. The
truth is, that a great number of the strongest kind
were built about the reign of Stephen ; and they
multiplied to such an inordinate extent, that, as
Camden says, in the reign of Henry 11. we had no
less than 1,113. One of the most complete of these,
which were principally baronial, was Berkeley Castle;
and its ancient strength and magnificence may be
yet gathered from its relics. The different altera-
tions that have taken place since it was in a state
of defence, may be found in 11,glatas " History of
Giooresterabire."

The particular description of a Norman castle
may be seen in Mr. Dallaway's 4. Heraldic Loyal-
r ice ;" and the char after of oui castles in the differ-
ent centuries may perhaps be in part gathered from
the following specimens. Norl.am Ca.tle, built in
I ; described in the blasters' .f Durham,"
irborough in 1135. Conway and Ceerphilly, by
our first Edward. On: of the towers of Alnwick
in 13.50. Lumley in 1389. Tho great tower at
the north east corner of Warwick Castle in 1591, at
the expense of 59M ss. td.—And Castor, in Nor-
folk, early in the filttenth century., The follow ng
description, however, taken principally from 13r.
Henry's " Riat,r of k.Mghtliti," will be fou.ai
generally applicable to what ate called the castles
of the middle ages:
" The situation of ancient castles was usually on
an eminence, and near a river. the whole site of
the castle was surrounded by a deep and broad
ditch, sometimes dry, and sometimes filled with
water. On the edge of this stood the wall, about
eight or ten feet thick, and between twenty and
thirty feet high, with a parapet, and a kind of em-
brasures, called crenelles, on the top. On this wall,
at proper distances, were built square towns, two
or three stories high, containing apartments for the
principal officers ; and adjoining to these were
lodgings for the common set yams or retainers, gra-
napes, storehouses. and other necessary offices. On
the top of the wall, and on the flat roofs of these
buildings, stood the delenders of the castle when it
WAS b:steged, and thence discharged arrcres, darts,
and stones, on the besiegers. &fore the great gate
was MS outwork, called a barbican, cr antemural,
which was a strong and high wall, with turret., de-
signed tar the &fence of the gale and drawbri Igo.
The gnu was also defended by a tower on each side,
and rooms over the passage, which was closed
by thj(k tAding-doors of oak, often plotted with
iron, Ad by an iron portcullis, or grate, let down
from above. Within this outward wall was a
large open space or court, called the outer bayley,
in which stood commonly a church or chapel.
Within this outer bayley was another ditch,wall, and
gate, with their towers. inclosing the inner bayley;
within which was the principal hill and tower,
called the keep or dungeon. TM: tower, the pa-
' lace of the Prince or Baron, and residence of the
constable or glen nor, was a large square fabric,
four or five stories high, having sm ill windows
very thick walls, wlrch rendered the apartments
within it dark and gloomy. In it was the great
hall, in which the owner displayed his hospitality,
sty eatertaining his numerous friends and followers.
he lower part consisted of dark rooms or vaults,
often used for the confinement of prisoners; and
hence it ha been inferred this principal tower de-
rived its name of dungeon."
To these &nervations we may add, that among
the feudal castles, the gatehouse was use favourite
mark of dignity ; and that the keep, as a super-
eminent tower, appears to have been forgotten
' about the time. of Edward 111. Spenser's descrip-
tion of the barbican, too, gives additional light
" Fault Querns" h. ii. watt la. u. 15).
.0m the carbieau a Porter we,
Day and sighs daily keeotng este, as.l ward;
N r vied, nor weld. mote passe out of the gate,
klut il> gae4 sr.t. anJ wan due regard ;
Dterrers of secrets he rum thence &Wed.
Bantam of fol y and idaurs crynes;
II slar:usi-Le I inteht low,' and eel. be bard
When cause requyed, but never out of time;
Early and late it rung, at seeilasit and at rime "
The old passes into our castles were usually
arched bridges of stone. Drawbridges seem to
have made their appealance as early as the four-
teenth century, but were not much used till the time
of Henry VIII.
So early as the time of Edward 111. castle archi-
teehoe seems to have been a little on the decline;
for it is principally in that reign that its strength
and solidity were first sacrificed to convenience ;
and in the reign of Henry VIII. it had descended
from the lofty towers, which, displayed at Caernar-
von, Conway, and Caerphilly, awed the beholder,
to the block houses of Calshot, Hurst, Santlnwn,
Sandgate, and South Sea; and even such as these
were doomed, within a few years, to shroud their
insignificance within delusive banks of turf.
'the most complete and 4cnuine model, perhaps,
of what a castellated mansion was in the days of
Henry VIII. may be gathered from the ruins of
Cowdray House, in Sussex.

hiondAy morning, the I n Regiment of Royal East
India Volunteers, with their fieldpieces, under the
msm.ind of Colonel MIL. Ls, were reviewed on (ox
Ileath,by Brigadier-General He Ir, and went through
their different maneuvrin aid evolutions with great
precincts:.