as a dungeon, having no windows. The second was almost as dark, and was probably the treasury or store. The highest had two large windows (now broken down), also a fire-place, with a passage for the smoke carried up through the thickness of the wall; all which indicate this room to have been intended as a sort of state apartment for the chieftain. The staircase was within the wall, ascending from one side of the passage of the doorway." Such is Launceston castle; a structure, from every point of view, commanding our interest and admiration. It is generally considered to have been erected by William, Earl of Morton, being also Earl of Cornwall by descent from his father, Robert, who was half-brother to William the Conqueror: but by tradition Launceston castle has been, from still more remote antiquity, a seat of the Princes of Cornwall; and various parts of the fortifications would impute its erection to the Romans. At any rate this "Castle Terrible," as it is termed by Carew, has always served as a place of great strength. During the period of the Civil wars, Launceston castle was considered as one of the greatest strongholds of the western royalists. It was defended at various times by Sir Ralph Hopton and others, and sustained its character as an almost impregnable fortress, through many a long siege. In the time of Charles the Second, we find that Sir Hugh Piper was made constable of the castle and keeper of the gaol, as a reward for his sufferings and bravery during the Civil wars. His monument, with that of his wife, is still to be seen in Launceston church. An interesting account of Sir Hugh Piper may be found in Mrs. Bray's novel of Warleigh. We have little space to refer to the antiquities of the town of Launceston. Its priory appears to have been of considerable magnitude; but in the devastations of the sixteenth century almost all record concerning it was destroyed. The church is a noble edifice, erected in 1511

by Sir Henry Trecarrell, after the loss of his only son. It is of granite, finely carved, with figures both within and without. Below the church-yard, shaded by some fine trees, is a pleasant walk, which commands a beautiful view of the wide valley, on the side of which Launceston is built. We have referred to the fact of markets having been held on the Lord's-day in ancient times; it is recorded that in the reign of King John the men of Launceston paid five marks to have their market changed from Sunday to Thursday. It has since been altered to Saturday.

I cannot refrain from giving a description of one visit to Launceston, which possessed a very peculiar interest to me, as being the first time of my seeing an assize. My mind was filled with solemn impressions of the importance of the scene I was about to witness; and our drive to Launceston, on somewhat a gloomy morning, was not calculated to dispel the feeling of the hour; but I was cheered, notwithstanding, by the scenery through which we passed. The new line of road by Griesen or Greystone Bridge is particularly beautiful; it winds down the side of a hill to the river Tamar below, which steals through a deep valley, whose sides are clothed with hanging woods. The bridge, built of a fine grey stone, forms a pleasing object in the picture. At the time we passed the river was flooded, and the water was "still and deep," reflecting the landscape around as in the bosom of a lake. We found the entrance to the town wonderfully improved; the old archway could now be approached by a level piece of road, along whose sides many new buildings were being erected. The appearance of the shops and houses were also much altered for the better, and the whole aspect of the place seemed changed, by the bustle and importance which was given by the assize. We drove to the principal inn, which commands a view of the pretty garden formed beneath

the castle wall, as well as the gloomy building which was then used for the courts of justice. The inn was filled with attornies and witnesses, so we were, by necessity, ushered into an apartment which properly belonged to another occupant. My friends had business to transact in the town, but I preferred remaining at the inn, observing from the window the various scenes which were taking place without. Every idea of gloom was lost by the hilarity and general animation of the crowd which continually increased around the door of the Town-hall. Gaily dressed rustics thronged the streets, escorting village belles in still more gaudy attire. Tempting stalls were erected as nearly as possible to the point of attraction, and in the distance a variety of caravans and shows displayed their wonders to the gaping populace. Many tempting little bits of drollery might have afforded subjects for the pencil of a Cruikshank. I was particularly amused by the solemn importance of the javelin men, who kept guard over the entrance to the court; they rebuked, with becoming dignity, the curiosity of the young urchins who, wishing to see all that could be seen, continually besieged the closed portals, which admitted only the myrmidons of justice. Occasionally an attorney jostled through the crowd, seizing on some unfortunate witness who had disappeared when most wanted, or holding an earnest conversation with a client of note. At other times a counsellor fluttered along in his wig and gown, as if life and death depended on his briefs. While engaged in watching the various groups before me, my attention was quite withdrawn from what was passing in the room in which I sat, until a loud pattering close behind, aroused me from my reverie. On turning, I beheld two antiquated beings, whom I had no great difficulty in discovering to be a mistress and her maid, although there was no very perceptible difference in their dress;

but the more delicate form of the lady could easily be distinguished from the robust proportions of the serving woman. They both wore small black bonnets, of a coalscuttle fashion; their sober colored shawls were equally well arranged; and their feet were alike preserved in thick shoes and coarse woollen stockings: but the stuff of the lady's gown was finer than her handmaiden's, and the latter wore, moreover, an apron as white as snow, and upon her feet a pair of wooden clogs, which appendages had caused the clattering sound that first attracted my attention. These primitive beings replied to my apologies for intruding on their apartment in the kindest manner possible, both mistress and maid, assuring me, in the Cornish dialect, that I was "most kindly welcome." I found that they had come from "down west," travelling to such a distance for the first time in their lives, in order to appear as witnesses in some inconsiderable trial of a poor neighbor. They had arrived by van the day before, in order to “ save expense" (to the county,) and were astonished at everything they beheld; but were still quite at home at the inn, acting so as to give as little trouble as possible to any one, and dressing just as they did in their own little cottage at St. They dined at twelve o'clock in the bar, to "save the trouble" of bringing the dinner to the parlour, and would scarcely allow the waiter, whom they addressed as "Sir," to do anything at all for them. Their remarks were most simple and amusing, and their manners quite delightful in the age of affectation and presumption. I left them looking from the window, and saw them constantly nodding and encouraging us to proceed, as we made our way through the crowd into the opposite hall of justice.

We entered first the nisi prius court, where a tiresome cause was pending, and heard Serjeant Bompas haranguing for above an hour, in reply to a clever

speech by Mr. Erle, while the little Judge moved his large head from this side to that, and nodded his assent, or uttered his objection, while he twitched his wig from very weariness. My thoughts wandered to the "la" courts of Edinburgh, where I had heard the SolicitorGeneral, Hope, talk of the course of the "la," and the month of Aggust, and the famous city of Glasgie, until the Lord Advocate, Jeffery took up the word, and set the matter to rest in a trice by the all-commanding force of genius. The subject was of no note: our attraction had been to see Sir Walter Scott, who was not in the court, but who was afterwards pointed out to us in the street, as he walked heavily along by the help of a stick. This was just at the commencement of that severe illness which brought about the melancholy termination of his life-an end, of which no one can read in Mr. Lockhart's interesting narrative, without being affected as for a near and dear friend. But to return to Launceston; after waiting for a considerable time we were admitted, through the kind interest of Sir W. T—, into the grand-jury box of the Crown court. The difficulty of admittance arose from the inconvenience and small dimensions of the hall, of which both judges and jury had just cause to complain. I was never more impressed than by the perfect silence which reigned as we entered; some delay had occurred when the prisoner was called, and in the meantime the court was at rest. Immediately opposite to us sat Lord Denman, like a statue, apparently without the movement of a muscle, so rigid was his whole form. There was great dignity and command in this perfect stillness: even the spectators were awed into silence, and the jurymen sat as fixed as the judge himself. We felt that we were in a solemn tribunal of life and death, and tacitly acknowleged the awful importance of the judicial office. It would be useless in this place to enter into any detail

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