best in London for sound, and was used for the Philharmonic and all other concerts of note until burnt down in 1834, when the present houses, Nos. 246, 248, 250, 252, and 254 Regent Street, were erected on the site. Argyll Place, formed at the time of making Regent Street, by taking down a house at the south-west end of Argyll Street, leading to Great Marlborough Street. County Fire Office [which see], erected on high ground, and, when viewed from Pall Mall, apparently terminating the lower part of Regent Street. The Quadrant was designed by Mr. Nash (on ground leased by him from the Commissioners), and originally consisted of two rows of shops, with bold projecting colonnades, removed in 1848. [See Quadrant.] Raleigh Club (No. 16), on the east side of the lower part of the street. Junior Constitutional Club, No. 14 (part of the same façade), late the Gallery of Illustration, was built by Mr. Nash for his own residence. He lived here until he retired from his profession. The gallery was decorated with copies of Raphael's paintings, to make which (with permission of the Pope) he had artists employed for four years at Rome. The Junior United Service Club, north corner of Charles Street and east side of Regent Street, was built by Sir Robert Smirke for the United Service Club, who sold it to the Junior United Service Club when they erected their present house in Pall Mall. The present elaborate edifice was built from the designs of Messrs. Nelson and Innes, architects, in 1857. Hanover Chapel, on the north-west side of Regent Street, was built (1823-1825) from the designs of C. R. Cockerell, R.A., and St. Philip's Chapel (1819-1820), on the south-west side, from the designs of G. S. Repton. St. James's Hall (No. 69) was erected in 1857 from the designs of Owen Jones. In his designs for Regent Street Mr. Nash adopted the idea, previously practised with success by the brothers Adam, of uniting several dwellings into a single façade, so as to preserve a degree of continuity essential to architectural importance. The perishable nature of the brick and composition of which the houses in Regent Street are built gave rise to the following epigram : : Augustus at Rome was for building renown'd, The last two lines are otherwise read : But is not our George, too, a very great master? He finds London brick, and he leaves it all plaster. Nash, it need hardly be remarked, was George IV.'s favourite architect. Considerable alterations have been made of late years in the appearance of the street by the rebuilding of several houses and the heightening of others. Regent's Canal was projected by Mr. John Nash, architect, for the purpose of forming a continuous line of canal navigation from the 1 Quarterly Review for June 1826. Grand Junction Canal at Paddington to the River Thames at Limehouse; with basins at the Regent's Park, the City Road, St. Luke's, and at Limehouse. It was commenced October 14, 1812, opened from Paddington to the Regent's Park basin in 1814, and throughout to the Thames August 1, 1820. Mr. James Morgan was the engineer. This canal has two tunnels, and in length is rather more than 8 miles, with a surface breadth of 45 feet, a depth of 5 feet, and a fall of 90 feet by twelve locks, exclusive of the tide lock at the Thames. Regent's Park, a public park of 372 acres, part of old Marylebone Park, long since disparked, and familiarly known as Marylebone Farm and Fields. On the expiration of the lease from the Crown to the Duke of Portland in January 1811, the Crown obtained an Act of Parliament, and appointed a commission to form a park and to let the adjoining ground on building leases. The whole was laid out by Mr. James Morgan in 1812, from the plans of Mr. John Nash, architect, who designed all the terraces except Cornwall Terrace, which was designed by Mr. Decimus Burton. By a clause in the building leases of the Regent's Park houses the lessees covenant to renew the colouring on the stuccoed exteriors within the month of August in every fourth year; the period being the same for them all, and the tint to be that of Bath stone. The park derives its name from the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV., who intended building a residence at the north-east side of the park. Part of Regent Street was actually designed as a communication from the Prince's residence to Carlton House, St. James's Palace, etc. The Crown property comprises, besides the park, the upper part of Portland Place from No. 8 (where there is now part of the iron railing which formerly separated Portland Place from Marylebone Fields), the Park Crescent and Square, Albany, Osnaburgh, and the adjoining cross streets, York and Cumberland Squares, Regent's Park Basin and Augustus Street, Park Villages east and west, and the outer road of the park. The Zoological Gardens are at the upper end of the park. The Holme, a villa near the centre of the park, was erected by Mr. James Burton (father of Decimus Burton), and where he resided until his decease. This Mr. Burton was a speculative builder, who covered with houses the Skinners' Company and Foundling Hospital estates; he also erected York and Cornwall Terraces, Regent's Park; Waterloo Place and the lower part of Regent Street. Through the park, on a line with Portland Place to the east side of the Zoological Gardens, runs a fine broad avenue lined with trees, and footpaths which ramify across the sward in all directions, interspersed with ornamental plantations and well stocked flower-beds. These were laid out in 1833, and opened in 1838, up to which time the public were excluded from the inside of the park. On January 15, 1867, a fearful accident occurred through the breaking of the ice on the ornamental water, when about 200 persons were immersed and nearly 40 of them lost their lives. The depth of the water has since been reduced to about four feet. Around the park runs an outer road, forming an agreeable drive nearly 2 miles long. An inner drive, in the form of a circle, encloses the Botanic Gardens. On the outer road is Holford House, now the Regent's Park (Baptist) College. St. Dunstan's Villa, the residence of Henry Hucks Gibbs, Esq., somewhat south of the college, erected by Decimus Burton for the late Marquis of Hertford. In the gardens of this villa are placed the identical clock and automaton strikers which once adorned St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street. When the marquis was a child, and a good child, his nurse, to reward him, would take him to see "the giants" at St. Dunstan's, and he used to say that when he grew to be a man "he would buy those giants." It happened when old St. Dunstan's was pulled down that the giants were put up to auction, and the marquis became their purchaser. They still do duty in striking the hours and quarters. There is a picture in the National Gallery by James Ward, R.A. (1175), which is entitled "Regent's Park, 1807." It is, in fact, a view of Marylebone Park, which afterwards became the Regent's Park. Regent's Park Market. [See Cumberland Market.] Registrar General's Office, SOMERSET HOUSE, in the rooms formerly occupied by the Royal Academy. The office of the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths was erected pursuant to 6 and 7 William IV., c. 86. The Registrar General publishes an annual report, in which all the facts bearing on the movement of the population of England and Wales are minutely set forth in a tabular form, accompanied by such remarks as seem required to place the results they indicate in a clear light. He also publishes a weekly summary of the returns furnished by the local registrars throughout the country of the births, marriages, and deaths, and causes of death, particularly referring to the relative increase or otherwise of the several forms of zymotic disease; and a somewhat more general quarterly statement in which particulars are given respecting the emigration and immigration of the past three months, the fluctuations in the quality of the watersupply, and whatever seems worthy of present attention as affecting the public health. The work going on in the Registrar General's office is unintermittent, and the reports issued by him are of the utmost value not only to the sanitary student and statistician, but to those interested in all that concerns the public health and wellbeing. Religious Tract Society, 56 PATERNOSTER Row, and 65 St. Paul's Churchyard. Established 1799 for "the circulation of small religious books and treatises throughout the British Dominions and foreign countries." But in addition to this, its primary object, the Society has become a great trading establishment for the publication and sale of religious books and periodicals. Rhenish Wine-house, CANNON ROW, WESTMINSTER, at the end of a passage leading from King Street. In Strype's Map of 1720 VOL. III M Rhenish Wine Yard opens south out of King Street, nearly opposite Charles Street. There was an entrance to it from the Privy Gardens, only open during the sittings of Parliament and the Law Courts. Pepys was "at the Rhenish Wine-house drinking," July 30, 1660, with the sword-bearer of London; and again a few days later "with JudgeAdvocate Fowler, Mr. Creed, Mr. Shepley, and Captain Howard . and very merry." On November 24 of the same year he is again there with Creed and Shepley, and "did give them two quarts of Wormwood wine." On June 19, 1663, he is there with Mr. Moore, who showed him "the French manner, when a health is drunk which is now the fashion." The last visit he records is on June 1, 1668, but he adds, "Where I have not been in a morning, I think, these seven years, or more." There were other Rhenish wine-houses in London, one was in Crooked Lane and another in the Steelyard. Richard's Coffee-house. [See Dick's.] Richmond House, WHITEHALL, was so called after Charles, second Duke of Richmond of the present family (d. 1750), for whom it was built by the celebrated Earl of Burlington, but afterwards altered and enlarged by Wyatt. It stood at the southern extremity of Privy Gardens, and looked towards Charing Cross. The ground was previously occupied by the apartments of the Duchess of Portsmouth, mother (by Charles II.) of the duke's father, the first Duke of Richmond. Here the third Duke of Richmond (who died in 1806, having borne the title for fifty-six years) formed a noble collection of the very finest casts from the antique, and, with a spirit and liberality much in advance of his age, afforded every accommodation, and invited artists by advertisements to study in his gallery. This, the first public school established in this country wherein the beauties of the antique could be studied, was opened on Monday, March 6, 1758, ten years before the establishment of the Royal Academy. Cipriani and Wilton (artists of eminence) attended to instruct, and silver medals were occasionally awarded. Richmond House was famous also for its entertainments and private theatricals. May 17, 1749.-The night before last the Duke of Richmond gave a firework : a codicil to the Peace. . . . The garden lies with a slope down to the Thames, on which were lighters, from whence were thrown up, after a concert of music, a great number of rockets. Then from boats on every side were discharged water-rockets and fires of that kind; and then the wheels which were ranged along the rails of the terrace were played off; and the whole concluded with the illumination of a pavilion on the top of a slope, of two pyramids on each side, and of the whole length of the balustrade to the water. You can't conceive a prettier sight; the garden filled with everybody of fashion, the Duke [of Cumberland], the Duke of Modena and the two black Princes [of Anamaboe]. The King and Princess Emily were in their barge under the terrace; the river was covered with boats, and the shores and adjacent houses with crowds.-Walpole to Sir Horace Mann (Letters, vol. ii. pp. 155, 160). Walpole, in one of his marginal notes on Pennant, says, "His Grace [of Richmond] having bought the adjacent house fitted up a small 1 Sir James Thornhill opened his Art Academy in 1724, and the St. Martin's Lane School was established in 1734, but these were specially for artists to study the living model. theatre in it, where for two winters plays were performed by people of quality." Of the performances, Peter Pindar, addressing (as usual) George III., says : So much with Saving-wisdom are you taken, Peter Pindar, Peter's Pension. He adds in a note: "Here is a pretty little nutshell of a Theatre, fitted up for the convenience of Ladies and Gentlemen of Quality who wish to expose themselves." Richmond House was destroyed by fire, December 21, 1791, but rebuilt. There is an engraved view of the house by Boydell; and Edwards, in his Anecdotes (p. 164), mentions a drawing of the gallery by an artist of the name of Parry, which he considered curious, "being," as he says, "the only representation of the place." The lease of the house did not expire until April 1841, but the Duke, in 1819, parted with his interest in it for £4300; the house was then taken down and Richmond Terrace built on its site. Richmond Street, LEICESTER SQUARE, runs from Wardour Street to Rupert Street. The first Earl of Macclesfield (d. 1693) was living here in 1681.1 Richmond Terrace, WHITEHALL, was erected on the site of Richmond House in 1824. Miss Foote, Countess of Harrington, died at No. 2, aged sixty-nine. [See Richmond House.] Ring (The), a circle in Hyde Park, surrounded with trees, and forming, in the height of the season, a fashionable ride and promenade. It was made in the reign of Charles I., was situated between the Humane Society's Receiving House and Grosvenor Gate, and was partly destroyed at the time the Serpentine was formed by Caroline, Queen of George II. Oldys had seen a poem in sixteen pages, entitled "The Circus, or British Olympicks, a Satyr on the Ring in Hyde Park." "This is a poem," says Oldys, “satirising many fops under fictitious names. Near a thousand coaches," he adds, "have been seen there in an evening." Several of the trees still remain. Wycherley was a very handsome man. His acquaintance with the famous Duchess of Cleveland commenced oddly enough. One day as he passed that Duchess's coach in the Ring, she leaned out of the window, and cried out, loud enough to be heard distinctly by him, "Sir, you're a rascal: you're a villain !" [alluding to a song in his first play]. Wycherley from that instant entertained hopes. -Pope, in Spence (ed. Singer, p. 16). Wilt thou still sparkle in the box, ? Canst thou forget thy age and pox Lord Dorset's Verses on Dorinda. 1 Rate-books of St. Martin's, |