r the immense Metropolis, but in distant parts of the
country. The fact is well known of the sentry at Windsor,
who, when accused of having been asleep one night on his
post, denied the charge, saying, "That he had been listening
to St. Paul's in London, which had just struck thirteen!"
And this assertion was, upon enquiry, satisfactorily
corroborated.

They were now ushered into the _Whispering Gallery_, which is
constructed on the very simple principle of an unbroken communication.
It is 140 yards in circumference, and a stone seat runs round the
gallery along the foot of the wall. On the side directly opposite to the
entrance door, Dashall and his friend seated themselves, when the person
who shewed the gallery whispered close to the door, at the distance
of 140 feet, and yet they heard his voice seemingly at their ear. The
shutting of the door resembled a clap of thunder. From this gallery,
round the inner circle of which is an iron balustrade, the marble
pavement of the church exhibits a beautiful appearance, and the
paintings of the dome, which have ~80~~ greatly suffered by time, are
thence seen to the greatest advantage.

The ascent to the ball is attended by some difficulty, and is
not encountered by many. Our two visitants therefore declined its
inspection. The interior diameter of the ball is six feet two inches,
and will contain twelve persons.{1}

1 A new ball and cross have lately replaced the former, of
similar dimensions. The erection of the scaffolding, and
subsequent proceedings of the workmen, at so fearful a
height from the "haunts of men," excited a very general
interest, more particularly so on the recent happy
accomplishment of the undertaking, when the in-trepid
aeronauts cheered the admiring multitude far beneath, and,
seated in the clouds like the deities of Mount Olympus,
drank to the prosperity of their friends in the nether
regions.

The best view of the metropolis is obtained, in a clear day, from the
gallery at the foot of the lantern. The diminutive appearance of the
passengers and other objects beneath is extremely amusing, and resembles
the Elfin Panorama of the capital of Lilliput.

The calm serenity of the interior, the awful grandeur of the structure
itself, and the reflections arising from the contemplation of monuments
erected to the memory of departed worth, with the splendid achievements
of he