The Sun.
London, England, 1826-09-15 00:00:00

THE TEMPLES.

The= beautiful Church of the Two Temples is at
this moment undergoing repair, and judging from the
part already completed, there is good reasim to ex-
pect that iv will become a very highly ornamental
feature when the workmen shall have finished their

labours. The spaces between the buttresses Were occu
pied by a wig shop, and the sacristy of the Church ;
these are now removed and the whole of the south side
is being eased with stone in the gothic style, in unison
with the internal decorations of the building. Hitberto
a coat of common plaster covered ,the exterior walls,
and thus it will be at once conceived what a great im-
provement is about to be effected. The property. in
the Church belongs to the two Temple's jointly, and is
divided equally between them, by a line running from
eastilto:west up the middle of the Church ; the north
half being the property of the-Middle, Temple, and the
south half that of the Inner Temple. The north halt
was caged with, stone some fifty years ago or thereabouts,
but the towers of the church were then left in
their pristine state, covered with a coat of common
plaster like the body of the church itself. The Inner
fcmple, however, lately resolved to case their half of
the church and the church towers, with stone in the
same way that the church has been done ; and the
Benchers of that Society set the workmen on that task
without paying their Brethren of the Middle Temple
the compliment of first communicating their design to
them, or even asking whether it would or would
not be . convenient to them to case their half
of the towers with stone at the same time. Thus
it happens that these beautiful towers are likely
to remain greatly disfigured, solely in consequence
of this want of respect, and cominon politeness,
on the part of the Benchers of the Inner TeMple.—
These towers form the most beautiful, most splendid,
and most perfect specimen of intersected arches
theie kingdoms can boast, and it would therefore be
a circumstance of deep regret if the .Benchers of the
Middle Temple, in a fit of most justifiable anger,
should refuse to aid the Inner Temple in the prose-
cution of this work, and thus leave the towers dis-
figured ; one half resplendent with new Bath stone,
and the other covered with common plaster, and
that all black and dirty by age. We hope better
things of the Benchers of the Middle Temple,
as they are gentlemen of highly liberal and "ho-
nourable feelings, and quite alive to the interests
and honour of the. Society they govern. Now,
we beg. it to be remarked, that the Inner
Temple is immensely rich, and the Middle compara-
tively poor. The latter is at this moment reparing,
the magnificent and stately Hall of the, Society at an
expence which at a moderate computation will reach
50001. The year before they built a new library,
and are expending largo shins in the purchase of books,
and would therefore fir the presenkhave willingly
saved themselves the expence of casing .the chinch
towers with - stone, but which option, how-
ever, the Inner Temple has thus taken from them;
as. it seems not unlikely that they will be compelled to
effect this improvement, however inadequate their
funds may he,iust at this moment to hear it. In con-
segOence of the removal of the Sacristy, it became
necessary to' erect 'another on the other side of the
church, and to open 4 door-way through the oak
wainscoting, which runs round it.s interior. As this
removal 'Was effected at the desire and for accorn-
modation of the Inner Templer of cotlr:ie they
bear the expellee ; and would it be believed that
this wealthy society have erected a common deal door,
land mean to paint it in imitation of oak, in order to
save the additional 20 or 30 shillings that a real oaken
door would have cost them ?
The noble dining-hall of the Middle Temple: is now
also undergoing repair. The roof has been com-
pletely taken off, and the decayed timbers replaced.
A new lantern will be erected upon it, and
every part of it properly cleansed anti repaired ;
this roof is finished on the same fan as that of West-
minster Flail. The aides of the Hall. to the height of
15 or 20 feet, are panelled with oak, and each pope'
contains the arms, properly emblazoned, of the diffe-
rent Readers of the Society, trout a few years beyond
1600 to.the present day. At the told of the Hall,
and immediately ever the centre of the dais, there
hangs a superb picture of Charles I. on horse-back,
by Vandyck ; and at the opposite end a beautifully
carved oaken skreen, extending right across, and stand-
ing abcut 20 or 25 feet high. There is no fire-place,
and in the winter this noble building is warmed by an
immense brinier, filled with charcoal, and which
stands immediately under the lantern in the roof.

A strange figure, arrayed in " palmer's weeds," pass.,
eel through Canterbury hod week, doubtless on,a
griniaV (if he was, SUM) to the shrine of some favour.
ite Saint, on the Continent. A man dressed in sack•
cloth, with his head shaved, without shoes or stockings
and with books under, hie arm, arrived there on his
way to the Continent. Doubtless be was a Catholic
devotee. His strange appearance tecited much env-
prise.—Kent Herald,
A FEMALE VETEII A K.—Mary.Hyde, now living
at Chorleybottorns, in Lancashire, is 94 years of age.
On Saturday, September 2, she buried the last of her
children, in the whole, nineteen sons and one daugh-
ter. The day fbllowing she said, " Now I have buried
all my children, and my two husbands ; thanks be to
God, I have seen them all removed from sorrow and
care, and lam ready to follow." She stated that she
lost ten sons in the army and navy. " My eldest boy,"
she said, " lost his let!, in an engagement with De
A m
irtie. He died in the West Indies. f was not 16
when he was holm Two were killed at Gtuulaloupe,
two with Nelson at the Nile—four of my sons were
Chelsea, one having lost a leg,
there ; two died at and
the other an arm. One died at Newcastle, in the 20th
regiment ; another at the same place, on board the
Tender ; and the tenth lost his life in going to Dub-
lire," She was born in Meeklenburgh, and came to
England with a Mrs. *Mullin, when eleven years of
age. She says her first husband was in the slave
trade, but afterwards became a soldier. she was nine,
months with him at Gibraltar, and then went to Ame-
rica, and landed at Boston. 1 was never in the field,
(she
said,) whilst the battle lasted, but 1 have been to
Plunder afterwards.
. They won't allow them to plunder
her is deal of 0»o
now as they dill in those days ; t
first field of haul
sitinn to it now. 1 can recollect thee
`recollect
very well. I have reason torecollect it ; but on
Cleirl cson.
head cannot contain all—it was soot •
le-fiehterstw, whl
o
was wounded there by one of their bus
lay conctuded. I have been upon many fields besides
that, but never was wounded since ; my husband re-
ccived a wound in America, and died afterwards in
England. I was with him eight years and three
months." This veterall received 18d. per week from
the parish of Pendleton, near. Manchester. She re-
cently applied for acme increase of allowance ; but,
teliatneful to relate, they threatened to place her in the
vorkhouse.—Birminghom Chronicle.