mansion, close to the sea, shut in by a range of rocky mountains. Mrs. Hemans was sixteen when her family removed to this retired spot. Her mother, who was of Italian descent, was an accomplished woman, and bestowed great care on her education. The Bible 'and Shakspeare, it is said, were her two great books, the traces of which appear in the imagery of her writings.

Mrs. Hemans' Residence, Wavertree, near Liverpool. [Drawn in 1853.]

Mrs. Hemans' two elder brothers, at this period, were in the army. A young officer, Capt. Hemans, was introduced into the family, and subsequently, in 1812, was married to the poetess. For a short time she lived with her husband at Daventry, when they returned to Bronwylfa, in Wales, where they lived till 1818, or about six years, the whole period of their married life that they lived together. From that period till the death of Mrs. Hemans, seventeen years more, they lived apart-she in Wales, England and Ireland, he in Italy.

Mrs. Hemans, at the time of her marriage, was well known by her published poetry, and while she lived with her husband she still pursued her studies, although during that period she became the mother of five sons. After her husband's departure she continued her writing with undaunted fortitude. In 1819, she contended for the prize for a poem on Sir William Wallace, and bore

it away from a host of competitors. About this time she gave her attention to German literature, which opened to her a new field of intellectual life, and produced a decided effect on her poetic tone and style. In 1825, Mrs. Hemans removed to Rhyllon, in Wales. The house she occupied was quite an unpoetic structure, being a tall, staring brick building, nearly destitute of trees and shrubbery. It is believed, however, that the happiest portion of her life, after childhood, was when she resided at this place. Here she dwelt in a manner retired, with her books and children about her, and often accompanied them in their rambles in the mountainous and sylvan scenery in the vicinity.

For the purpose of educating her children, Mrs. Hemans removed to Wavertree, a little village about three miles out of Liverpool. The annexed engraving was executed from a drawing taken November, 1853, and shows the appearance of her former residence. The building is divided into three tenements, the one occupied by Mrs. Hemans is the one of which the end view is given; the large trees represented in the engraving are said to have been planted by her. The village has been much enlarged since she resided here, buildings have been erected in the vicinity, the wall fronting the street has been made higher, so that a person walking in the little garden could not be seen by one passing the side walk of the street. She resided here with Miss Jewsbury, her friend and companion. Mrs. Hemans is described as uncommonly small and fragile in her form, but beautiful and lovely in the expression of her countenance.

Her hopes of educational privileges were not realized at Wavertree, and she was somewhat annoyed by the interruptions which celebrity has to endure from idle curiosity. In 1829, she made a journey into Scotland, and was received in Edinburgh with that cordial hospitality characteristic of that capital. She was invited to Abbotsford by Walter Scott. The next summer she visited Wordsworth, at Rydal Mount. She was so much pleased with the appearance of the country, that she took a small cottage overlooking Windermere, called Dove's Nest. She, however, was so much interrupted by calls from parties of pleasure, and an absolute "mail-storm of letters and papers," that she again fled into Scotland for relief.

Mrs. Hemans evidently overtaxed her strength in writing more than her inclination prompted, in order to furnish the means of educating her sons. Having relatives in Ireland, she removed to Dublin, in 1831, where she was received with all the respect due to her genius and virtues. Her health continued quite delicate, and taking a severe cold in the Gardens of the Dublin Society, she soon was brought to her grave. During her last illness she wrote some of the finest poetry she ever produced. The last piece which she wrote, "The Sabbath Sonnet," was dedicated to her brother, and was written less than three weeks before her death, which took place May 16, 1835. Her remains were interred in a vault beneath St. Ann's Church, but a short distance from her residence, and over her grave was inscribed some lines from one of her own dirges:

CALM on the bosom of thy God,

Fair spirit! rest thee now!
Even while with us thy footsteps trode,
His seal was on thy brow.

Dust to its narrow house beneath!
Soul to its place on high!
They that have seen thy look in death
No more may fear to die.

CHESTER.

THE city of Chester is one of the most interesting places in Great Britain. It is of high antiquity, and was long occupied by the Romans as an important military station. The present state of preservation of its walls and ancient monuments render it a spot singularly curious, not only to the antiquary, but to all those who seek, in the remains of other ages, valuable instruction.

It was called Deva, from the river which runs by its walls; and as early as the time of Agricola, or at least not long after, they fixed here the head-quarters of the twentieth legion, which, according to the military practice of the Romans, they fixed at Chester for upwards of two hundred years. The different fortresses in Cheshire were garrisoned by the legionaries, the more distant dependencies by its auxiliary cohorts, the whole amounting to near 13,000 men.

Agricola, who had twice before served in Britain in a subordinate capacity, was made, about the year 78, governor-in-chief of the island; and it is extremely probable that, during his successful career, Chester, or Deva, was first permanently occupied by the Romans. The city may therefore fairly claim an antiquity of upwards of 1700 years. The remains discovered in the city clearly prove that Chester enjoyed a share of the luxury as well as the civilization of Rome. Altars, tesselated pavements, and baths have been discovered here.

At what time the Romans abandoned Chester is not certain, but it was probably before they finally quitted Britain in the fifth century. It was then taken possession of by the natives. The first historical event connected with the city of any authenticity or importance which occurs after the departure of the Romans, is the defeat of the Britains under the walls of Chester by Ethelfrid, the Saxon king of Northumberland, about 607. In or about the year 907, Ethelred, the Earl or Duke of Mercia, and his wife Ethelfleda, sister of King Edward the Elder, repaired the city of Chester, which had suffered considerable injury from the Danes. rebuilt the walls, which they are also supposed to have enlarged, and adorned with turrets. About 971, King Edgar, being with his army at Chester, was visited by six petty sovereigns, who came to pay him homage.

At the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror gave Hugh d'Avranches, commonly called Hugh Lupus, the whole county of Chester, to hold as freely by the sword as he himself held England by the crown.

It would be an unnecessary occupation of space to record the various historical events connected with Chester, from the Norman conquest downwards. The situation of the city necessarily rendered it an important place; and it was frequently honored with the presence of the kings of England. It was here that Edward I summoned Lhewelyn, the last sovereign prince of Wales, to attend him to do homage, which, on his refusal, led to the war which ended in Lhewelyn's destruction. During the civil war between Charles I and the Parliament, Chester stood several sieges, or rather one continued siege of three years; the inhabitants, who had sided with the king, endured great privations; but at last, when the siege was converted into a blockade, they surrendered on honorable terms to the parliamentary troops on the 3d of February, 1645-6.

Chester is situated on a dry rock, elevated above the stream of the Dee, which winds round it on two sides, in an irregular semicircle. The district immediately adjacent is a rich but flat plain, exhibiting, however, interesting views. The ancient walls of the city are now only useful as a healthful and favorite walk for its inhabitants, but they are curious as the only perfect military work of the kind which the kingdom possesses. In Ormerod's "Cheshire," an elaborate county history, in three volumes folio, pub

lished in 1819, is the following description of the appearance and extent of the walls of Chester :

"The walls enclose an oblong parallelogram, and most undoubtedly stand, for a large portion of their extent, on Roman foundations, as is indisputably proved by the remains of the ancient East Gate, discovered in erecting the present arch, and some relics of Roman masonry near it, still existing, but concealed from public view by the houses adjoining. The Ship Gate is also supposed to be of similar antiquity, but cannot have been any part of the original walls, if the story of the extension of the original fortifications in the direction of this gate by Ethelfleda, be correct. The present circuit of the walls is somewhat more than a mile and three-quarters; the materials are a red stone; the exterior elevation is tolerably equal, but the interior is, in some places, nearly level with the ground, and in others with the tops of the houses. The entire line is guarded with a wooden rail within, and a stone parapet without; and the general line, which is kept in repair as a public walk, commands interesting prospects, among which may be specified the views towards the Forest Hills from the eastern front, towards North Wales and the Dee from the opposite one, and a fine view of the bridge and river, with the surrounding country, from the south-east angle. A very large proportion, however, of the eastern front, and a part under the castle, are completely blocked up by contiguous buildings."

"At the sides of the walls are the remains of several ancient towers, which have either been made level with the walls, completely dismantled, or been fitted up as alcoves by the citizens."

At the north-east angle is a lofty circular tower, erected in 1613, and called the Phoenix Tower, observ. able from the circumstance of Charles I having witnessed a part of the battle of Rowton Heath from its leads, in 1645. Another tower, of higher antiquity, and the most picturesque of the military remains of Chester, projects out at the north-west angle, and is approached by a small turret, called Bonwaldesthorne's Tower, which forms the entrance to a flight of steps, leading to an open gallery embattled on each side. Below this is a circular arch, under which the tide flowed before the embankment of the Dee. At the end of the gallery is the principal tower, a massy, circular building, of red stone, embattled; the principal room is an octagonal vaulted chamber, in the sides of which were pointed arches for windows. This tower, now called the Water Tower, and formerly the New

Tower, was erected in 1322, for £100, at the city expense, by John Helpstone.

The principal gates of the city of Chester are four, facing the cardinal points, and severally named the Bridge Gate, (on the south side,) the East Gate, the North Gate, and the Water Gate; the last situate on the west side of the city.

Chester has long been celebrated for the architectural peculiarity in the construction of many of the old houses, known by the name of "rows." To a stranger these rows appear very singular things. It is difficult to convey a clear idea of the Chester Rows by a description. A reference to the engravings will enable the reader to understand the description better. The rows may be termed a sort of gallery, arcade, or piazza, up one pair of stairs. These galleries at present occupy the greatest part of both sides of Eastgate-street, and the upper part of both sides of Watergate and Bridge-streets. They run along what would be the first floor of the houses, reaching from street to street, open in front, and balustraded. Beneath the galleries or rows are shops or warehouses on the level of the street; and at occasional intervals there are flights of steps leading into the rows. The upper stories over the rows project to the streets, and are on a level with the shops and warehouses below. Mr. Pennant supposed these rows to have been the same with the ancient vestibules, and to have been a form of building preserved from the time that the city was possessed by the Romans. Mr. Ormerod gives a simpler conjecture. Their origin is accounted for on the principle of erecting galleries, from which the citizens might protect themselves from a sudden inroad of cavalry.

It is a goodly sight to see the number of fair shops that are in these rows, of mercers, grocers, drapers, and haberdashers, especially in the street called the Mercer's Row; which street, with the Bridge-street, (being all one street,) reacheth from the High Cross to the Bridge, in length three hundred and eighty paces in geometry, which is above a quarter of a mile.

In Bridge-street, near the cross, the building is still remaining which was once the "Blue Posts" public-house, at which the following remarkable occurrence took place.

In 1558, Dr. Cole came to Chester on his way to Ireland, with a commission from the Queen for prosecuting (or rather persecuting) the Protestants in that kingdom. The Commissioner lay at an inn, then called the Blue Posts, in Bridge-street, where he was visited by the Mayor, to whom, in the course of conversation, Dr. Cole communicated his errand by taking a leather box out of his cloak-bag, and saying, in a tone of exultation, "There is what will lash the heretics of Ireland!" This declaration accidentally struck the ear of the mistress of the house, who had a brother in Dublin; and while the commissioner was complimenting his worship down stairs, the good woman, prompted by an affectionate fear for her brother, opened the box, took out the commission, and placed in lieu of it a pack of cards, with the knave of clubs uppermost. This the Doctor packed up, unobserved and unsuspecting; nor was the deception discovered till his arrival in the presence of the Lord Deputy and Privy Council, in the castle of Dublin. The surprise of the whole assembly at the sight of their warrant officer, the knave,