View of Coventry, from the Railway Station. COVENTRY is for the most part eligibly situated on a gentle eminence rising from the center of a valley, watered by the beautiful rivers Sherbourne and Radford brook, which unite within the town. It is nearly in the center of England, on a tract of about 300 feet above the level of the sea; the surface of the surrounding country is undulating, being beautifully diversified by numerous small spots of wood-land. The town is irregularly built, many of the older houses being constructed in the style of the fifteenth aud sixteenth centuries, formed with a ponderous timber frame-work, filled up with brick and plaster, and the upper stories over each other into the streets. The principal business of the place is the manufacture of ribbons, and watches. The total number of persons engaged in the ribbon trade in the city cannot be less than from 5,000 to 6,000. The population of Coventry is upwards of 30,000: distant from London, ninety-four miles. The town, as it is entered from the Railway station, presents a very neat appearance; a beautiful nursery, consisting of various kinds of trees, plants, &c., is the first object noticed by the traveler. This town was the birth-place of John Davenport, son of the mayor of the city, and one of the founders of the New Haven colony, in Connecticut. In the central part of the town, at a corner building, is a kind of military looking wooden figure, called "Peeping Tom," with distended eyes, looking out from a window in the second story, looking, as the tradition says, at Lady Godiva, as she was passing, unclothed, on horseback, through the city at noon-day. The following account is from a recent history of Coventry : Even as early as the ninth century of the Christian era, it is certain that an important convent of nuns existed here, and which, as Leland states, was founded by king Canute. Touching this house of nuns, Dugdale says, "I find that in the year of Christ 1016, that infamous traytor, Edricus, invaded Mercia with an army, burnt and wasted various towns in Warwickshire, at which time the said house of nuns, whereof St. Osburg, a holy virgin, had been sometimes abbess, was destroyed." It was on the ruins of this convent that Leofric, the fifth Earl of Mercia, conjointly with his Countess Godiva, in the year 1044, and in the reign of Edward the Confessor, founded, and richly endowed the monastery for Benedictine monks; which, for the greatness of its revenues, and the splendor of its ornaments, was scarcely surpassed by any in the kingdom. On the nature of its embellishments, William of Malmsbury observes, that "it was enriched and beautified with so much gold and silver, that the walls seemed too narrow to contain it: insomuch that Robert de Limesi, (a mercenary bishop of the diocese in the time of king William Rufus,) scraped from one beam that supported the shrines, 500 marks of silver." Among the relics, and placed on a silver shrine, was an arm of St. Augustine, with an inscription, purporting was purchased by Agelnethus, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1020, from the Pope at Rome, for the sum of one talent of silver and two hundred talents of gold." that it But besides the religious benefactions of Leofric and Godiva, there is a more notable act ascribed to the noble lady, which Dugdale thus relates: LADY GODIVA AND PEEPING TOM. The Countess Godiva, bearing an extraordinary affection for this place, (Coventry,) often and earnestly besought her husband, that for the love of God and the blessed Virgin, he would free it from that grievous servitude whereunto it was subject; but he, rebuking her for importuning him in a matter inconsistent with his profit, commanded that she should henceforth forbear to move therein; yet she, out of her womanish pertinaney, continued to solicit him, insomuch that he told her, if she would consent to ride naked from one end of the town to the other, in the sight of all the people, he would grant her request. Whereupon she returned," But will you give me leave so to do?" and he replying yes, the noble lady, upon an appointed day, got on horseback naked, with her hair loose, so that it covered all her body but the legs, and thus performing her journey returned with joy to her husband, who thereupon granted to the inhabitants a Charter of Freedom, which immunity I rather conceive to have been a kind of manumission from some servile tenure, whereby they then held what they had under this great Earl, than only a freedom from all manner of toll, except horses, as Knighton affirms: in memory whereof the picture of him and his said Lady were set up in a south window of Trinity Church, in this city, about Richard II's time, and his right hand holding a charter with these words written thereon: "J Enriche for Love of thee Woe make Coventre Tol-free." Only some faint traces of these portraits and inscription now remain in the window of Trinity Church here pointed out. Time, and the love of fiction, have made a considerable addition to this account of the singular feat of Godiva in behalf of her favorite city; for upon it has been engrafted the story of "Peeping Tom," setting forth that, previous to Godiva's riding through the town, all persons were commanded to keep within doors, and from their windows, during her progress; but that a certain tailor, who must needs be peeping, looked out, upon which the lady's horse neighed, and the tailor paid for his curiosity and presumption by the loss of his sight. In conformity with this traditionary tale, a figure called "Peeping Tom" is placed at an opening in the upper part of a house now forming the corner of Hertford-street; and the remembrance of Godiva's regard is preserved by the occasional exhibition, during the Great Fair, of a long and showy procession, in the midst of which a female, representing the Countess, rides through the streets, adorned with long and flowing bair, and habited in a linen or silk dress, closely fitted to the body. This public exhibition of Lady Godiva in a procession, was first instituted in the reign of the licentious monarch Charles the Second. It will be found on a minute examination of the figure called Peeping Tom, that so far from its bearing any resemblance to the person and habit of a tailor, it is a very ancient full-length oak statue of a man in armor, with a helmet, (but now transformed into a cocked hat and wig,) on his head, greaves on his legs, and sandals on his feet; but to favor the posture of leaning out of a window, the arms have been cut off at the elbows. From the attitude in which it was originally carved, there is reason to believe that it was either intended for Mars, the fabulous god of war, or some other warlike chieftain. Certain it is, that such a figure was never exhibited in this habit and situation to resemble a mechanic. The love of gorgeous shows, for which Coventry has always been celebrated, is inseparably connected with its history, as particularly attested in the records respecting its ancient mysteries or religious dramas, which were performed on movable stages, and consequently exhibited in various parts of the city. In these performances, which were got up chiefly by the Grey Friars on the day of Corpus Christi, were represented the nativity, crucifixion, the resurrection, day of judgment, and such like subjects, all acted out with such gravity and grandeur as to become worthy the attention of kings, queens, and nobles, who frequently attended as spectators. These extraordinary exhibitions sank into disuse with the dissolution of the monasteries, but only to give place to others of a different description, till finally the procession of Godiva at the show fair became predominant, and has retained its fascinating hold on the minds of the inhabitants, and thousands of others, up to the present day, and appears likely to continue so to do; for although a strenuous effort was made so lately as the year 1845, by the whole clergy of the city, and the major part of the municipal authorities, backed up by a remonstrance from the Bishop of the diocese, against the continuance of an usage alleged to be of so questionable a character, and so much at variance with the spirit of the age-all this resistance failed to defeat the popular resolution which had been taken to enforce the procession as usual. On this occasion, however, the style of the procession was so good as to afford no reasonable ground for objection to the observance of this ancient usage. Until the passing of the Municipal Reform Act, the procession of Godiva at Coventry fair was customarily graced by the full-robed attendance of the mayor and corporation. The presence of the civic body, however, has of late years been superseded by a fictitious substitute, and by the introduction of many new, but very suitable personations, namely, Edward the Black Prince; King Henry VI and his Queen, Margaret of Anjou; Sir Thomas White; Sir William Dugdale, the Warwickshire historian; William and Adam Botoner, &c. ROWLAND HILL. ROWLAND HILL, the celebrated and somewhat eccentric preacher, was the sixth son of Sir Rowland Hill, baronet of Hawkstone, in Shropshire, was born August 23d, 1745. When a child he exhibited a remarkable playful disposition, and exhibited those traits in his character which he in after life to some extent exhibited. When at a proper age he was entered at Eaton, where he was brought under religious impressions by the instrumentality of an elder brother. He next entered St. John's College, at Cambridge. While here he attended the ministry of Mr. Berridge. He soon began to hold meetings or preach in Cambridge and its vicinity, in which course he was encouraged by the celebrated George Whitefield. On Mr. Hill's application for orders, six bishops refused their consent on account of his irregularities in sustaining "lay preach In ing." His deviations from the establishment, however, never led him to find fault with its articles or liturgy. While his case was undecided by the bishops, he was chiefly occupied in itinerent preaching, in which course he received much persecution. 1773, he was ordained Deacon by Dr. Wills, the aged bishop of Bath and Wells, "without any promise or condition whatever." In 1782, Surry Chapel* was erected, in accordance with Mr. Hill's avowed design to erect a pulpit, "open to pious ministers of all denominations and of every country." Mr. Hill now had a regular congregation and a settled residence. The trustees of Surry Chapel paid him £300 a year, out of which "he boarded the supplies" who occupied his pulpit during his absence in the summer. Mr. Hill was rather above the middle stature in height, and when young was remarkably thin, though wonderfully strong and active. His countenance was expressive of the complexion of his mind, and the play upon his lips, and piercing look of his small gray eyes denoted both intelligence and humor. When between fifty and sixty years of age, his fine upright figure combined with a high-bred gentleman-like deportment caused him to be the subject of general admiration; and when the weight of eighty years rested on his head, his erect form was not bowed down, nor was the vigor of his mind impaired. "In his theological opinions," says his biographer, "he was the follower of no man, but drew his sermons fresh from a prayerful reading of the Bible, unpolluted by human traditions, unflavored by dogmas, and unadulterated by human traditions." He died April 2d, 1833, and was interred in Surry Chapel. A marble entableture surmounted by a bust of Mr. Hill is affixed, in front of the gallery, behind the pulpit, with the following inscription: "To the Memory of the late REV. ROWLAND HILL, A. M., formerly of St. John's College, Cambridge, and for half a century the zealous active and de This church was visited November 13th, 1853. It is a large octaginal building on the south, or Surry side of the Thames. The pastor, Mr. Sherman, preached an able and what is called an evangelical discourse on the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, to a congregation of perhaps two thousand persons. We were informed that they were Independents as to church government. The service of the established church was read at the commencement of the meeting, the officiating clergyman was dressed in his robes, and had two assistants, one on each side, the clerk and the reader in smaller pulpits. His courage was remarkable, and often awed his most violent opposers. His singularities also added much to his fame. He was once riding in a phaeton somewhere near London with Mrs. Hill, when they were attacked in the dark by two or three men who demanded their money. They had previously made a successful attack upon Mr. Whitefoot, his assistant, who preceded them in a gig. When they came to Mr. Hill, (and he used to laugh heartily when he told the story,) he set up such a tremendous unearthly shout, that one of them cried out, "We have stopped the devil by mistake, and had better be off," on which they ran away and left him and his wife in peaceable possession of the road. He used to say, "I stood up in the carriage and made all the outrageous noises I could think of, which frightened the fellows out of their wits, and away they scampered." voted Minister of Surry Chapel. This tablet is erected rather in token of the grateful recollection of a revered pastor by his bereaved and mourning congregation, than as a tribute to the worth of one, the imperishable monuments of whose labors are the names written in heaven, of the multitudes led to God by his long and faithful ministry. His mortal remains were interred in this Chapel on the 19th of April, A. D. 1833. He was born on the 23d of August, 1744, and died on the 11th of April, 1833. STRATFORD-UPON-AVON-SHAKESPEARE, &c. STRATFORD-UPON-AVON is pleasantly situated on the banks of the Avon, a small steam upon the south-west border of the county of Warwick, eight miles from Warwick, the nearest railroad station, and ninety-five north-west from London. Population about 6,000. The bridge over the Avon is the noblest one of the kind upon this classic river, having in the whole nineteen arches. The river is navigable to the bridge for vessels or barges of forty tons burthen. The plan and buildings of Stratford are more regular than most towns equally ancient. The town may be traced as remotely as three centuries before the Norman conquest, at which early period a monastary existed here under the superintendence of St. Egwin, afterwards Bishop of Worcester, and founded perhaps by the Saxons soon after their conversion to Christianity. The principal object of attraction to strangers visiting Stratford, is the birth-place of Shakespeare. The house in which he was born is situated about the center of xenley-street, having its original front of timber and plaster, and a board announcing, "The Immortal Shakespeare was born in this house." Upon the death of John Shakespeare his two houses in Henley Street, descended to his son, William. Upon the death of the great poet the house in which he was born, came into the possession of his "sister, Joan," (Mrs. Xart.) Since this period the house may have been somewhat altered in its appearance on the outside. About the beginning of the last century, the house in which Mrs. xart lived for a long period, was divided into two tenements, and one of them was opened as a butcher's shop, with the inscription, William Shakespeare was born in this house. In September, 1847, the Shakespeare house was sold by an auction sale, to the Stratford and London Shakespeare Committees for the sum of £3000 amid the immense cheering of the assemblage collected on the occasion. The five books of the autographs of visitors were next sold for seventy guineas. A few lots of old furniture were then sold; among them was a spectacle case, and |