The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-07 00:00:00

decking its roof, flamed like the Venetian Bucentaur. Nor
were the berg es belonging to the City companies interior ir size
and splendour to that destined for the reception of the Lord
Mayor and the great civic dignitaries. Newly gilt and deco-
rated for the occasion, decked with pennons and displaying
their banners, they were all provided with bands, and manned
by watermen in their liveries. At the helm of each of these
magnificent barks, which glittered in the sunbeams as if
made of gold, stood the barge-master in his state livery.
To several of them a fantastical appearance was given by the
actors in the pageants exhibited in the land procession being
taken on board, and so placed that they could be seen by
the occupants in the numerous wherries by which the river
was crowded. Thus, the two giants, Colbrand and Brenda-
more, having quitted their chariots, were now comfortably
seated on the roof of the gilded saloon of the Brewer's barge
smoking their pipes, and occasionally drinking to the health
of the good folks in the wherries. Sir John Hawkwood,
leaning on his two-handed sword, stood at the prow of the
Merchant Tailors' barge ; St. Peter took the Fishmongers
under his care; Vulcan and the Cyclops went on board the
Ironmongers' galley; and Bacchus and his crew re-
ve'led with the Vinters. The Skinners were rowed by
watermen disguised in strange spotted skins and painted
hides, while their great brown bear, chained upon the cabin
roof, continued to clamber up his pole."

To complete our little cluster of quotations Iva
will now merely add to the foregoing Mr. Ains-
worth's interesting record in connexion with the
Lord Mayor's official home, so well known 'co us
all, in the very heart of the City, as the Mansion
House :

" Stocks-market, which derived its name fzom a pair or
stock anciently set upon the spot for the punishment of
offenders, was one of the oldest markets in the city of Lon-
don, having been established in 1282 by Henry de Walleis,
then Mayor. Few would imagine that on the place where
the ponderous Mansion House now stand s, where thousands
upon thousands pass and repass, where the pavement is
always inconveniently crowded and the street constantly
stopped by carriages and public conveyances, little more
than a century ago there was a pretty fruit niarket, planted
on the east side with rows of trees, having an antique con-
duit at the north end and surmounted by an equestrian statue,
and stalls where fruitand vegetables of the choicestkind wars
vended. An odd story is told about the equestrian statue.
It was designed for John Sobieski, King of Poland, but
was left on the maker's hands, and the statue of Charles 11.
being wanted by Sir Robert Viner after the Restoration,
he availed himself of this image with commendable
thrift, converting the warlike Pole into the Merry
Monarch, and the turbaned Turk, whom his horse was
trampling beneath its feet into Oliver Cromwell..
Trees, stalls, conduits, and statue were removed in 1739.
On digging the foundation of the proposed building, the
ground proved to be so full of springs that strong piles were
needed for the support of the erection. Nearly 14 years
were occupied in the work—the first Lord Mayor who.
tenanted the Mansion House being Sir Crisp Gascoigne, in
1753."
Having placed which extracts before our readers, it
now scarcely remains for us to observe that, while
the work under consideration possesses the superfi-
cial charm of a fiction, it also possesses abundantly',
latent among its leaves, the fruits of much histori-
cal research. One is tempted, indeed, to
avail oneself of the aptitude of this al-
lowable figure of speech by adding—fruits
nutritiously instructive and ripened into flavour
by the glowing imagination of the Novelist.
The Lord Mayor of London is another and a sub-
stantial benefaction of Mr. Ainsworth's to all the
lovers of a school of romance racy of the soil on
which we live, stories among the familiar mazes of
wh'Lch we can look upon (and recognise) genuine
London scenes, peopled with unmistakable English.
characters.

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS.
The illustrations to Le Follet this month will
be found exceedingly attractive. They consist of
fashions for the bail-room, promenade, and sea-
side, with a whole host of caps, sleeves, &c., &c., its
addition to which th,B entertaining story ot " My First
Champagne and my Last Campaign "is brought, to a
conclusion. It is, on the whole, a very ey.ceitent
number.—.Routledge's Illustrated Natural History
is highly entertaining, as it contains the most solid
instruction in the most attractive for•.n.—Cassells'
Illustrated Exhibitor—This work on its completion
will form a very splendid volume, tss all the most
striking and ingenious articles displayed in the
Great Exhibition will be found amongst the illus-
trations. The explanations are all very well and
clearly written.—Cassells' Popular Natural His-
tory has reached its 41st part,. In addition to those
who have been subscribers carom its commencement,
we recommend this part more especially to all the
followers of Old Isaac Walton.—Cassells' Illus-
trated Family Bibles are both this month more than
ordinarily rich in illustration ; and The Quire,
published by the same enterprising firm, contains
a number of papers well calculated to suit the tastes
of all classes of readers.