is a cold plunging bath. Attached to the Baths are rooms fitted up with suitable apparatus, for the application of medical galvanism, and electricity; here is also an extensive

Laboratory for manufacturing Cheltenham salts, which are produced by evaporation from mineral waters, brought by pipes from immense reservoirs at some little distance; these reservoirs are filled by pumps from large wells sunk for the purpose at Montpellier.

Royal Victoria Baths are at 61, High street, originally opened in 1787, and were the first established in the town; they consist of hot, vapour, saline, shower, Whitlaw's patent medicated, &c. &c.

Hydropathic Institution, Sherborne house and Sherborne villa. This establishment, conducted by Dr. Balbirnie, M.A. M.D., is in an open and pleasant part of the town, between Pittville and Hewlett's road; the houses are large, commodious, and well furnished, fitted up on the ground floor with two large plunge baths in each, laid with glazed tiles. Here are rooms for hot air and vapour baths, which have this improvement upon other baths of the same sort, viz.—that the head is left out, so that the patient breathes the pure fresh air let into the apartment, and can regulate the heat and duration of the bath as he wishes. The separation of this establishment into the ladies' and gentlemen's departments, merely refers to the arrangements of the bed-rooms, baths, &c., in other respects the establishment is one, the patients of the same class all meeting at one table, and having the use of one drawing room.

*

The Assembly Rooms, erected by the late J. D. Kelly, Esq., at an expense of £60,000., on the south side of High street, between the Plough Hotel and Cambray, is an extensive building, with a neat portico entrance; it contains handsome suites of rooms, the ball room merits particular notice, being 80 feet in length, 40 in width, and 40 in height, finished and decorated in the most superb style, and brilliantly lighted by eleven glass chandeliers suspended from the ceiling; on the 29th July, 1816, it was opened, when the Duke and Duchess of Wellington were present, with the

In this establishment is a superb suite of Club rooms, extending the entire length of the building, conducted somewhat on the plan of the London clubs, being under the control of a committee of management, who are elected annually from amongst the yearly members.

principal nobility and gentry of the county; the ante-rooms are fitted up for refreshments, cards, billiards, &c.; dress balls take place weekly during the winter season, which are generally attended by the nobility and elite of the town and vicinity, under the superintendence of Captain A. H. Kirwan, master of the ceremonies, who also presides over the summer balls held in the Montpellier Rotunda.

Lord Northwick's Picture Gallery, at Thirlestone house, situated on the Bath road, and built by the late Mr. Scott, at an expense of £60,000.; it was purchased by the present proprietor at Mr. Scott's death; Lord Northwick has added considerably to the building, forming a magnificent picture gallery 210 feet in length, the walls being decorated with specimens by the ancient and modern masters. This exhibition is open to the public almost daily, from one to four o'clock, the visitor merely writing his or her name in a book kept for that purpose.

Photographic Portrait Institution. This establishment, situate in the Imperial Nursery Gardens Promenade, is open daily for taking portraits, &c. upon the inimitable and much admired Daguerreotype plan.

A Theatre, which formerly stood in Bath street, was destroyed by fire in May 1839, and no new one has been erected, although several attempts have been made to revive dramatic representations, without success; but here is a choral society, Euterpean society, and a glee club, and in the season horticultural and floral exhibitions frequently take place.

Hunting is a favorite diversion at Cheltenham, and Earl Fitzhardinge, who resides here from November to April, keeps a noble stud of horses, and a pack of fox hounds, which during that season hunt five days a week; besides which, in the neighbourhood are the Heythrop hounds (Lord Redesdale's), the V. W. S. or (Vale of White horse) and Worcestershire packs; the Cheltenham Stag hounds are supported by subscription, and are under the management of a committee, hunting three days a week when Earl Fitzhardinge is away; in the vicinity are the Brockworth harriers. Races were until 1830 run at Cleeve downs, but are now discontinued; Steeple chases however take place in the spring, under the patronage of the gentlemen of the "Berkeley Hunt." Here are two Cricket clubs, viz. the Wellington and the Cheltenham.

A Literary and Philosophical Institution was established in 1833, for the cultivation of literature and science, and the preservation of such works of art as tend to illustrate the progress of discovery and civilization. Previous to 1836 this society held its meetings in the Imperial Pump Room, situate where the "Queen's Hotel" now stands. On the 30th August, 1836, the present edifice, erected on the east side of Imperial Promenade, was opened by the Lord Bishop of Gloucester; it contains a lecture room, museum, a committee room, laboratory, with philosophical instruments for the illustration of lectures, and use of the members; the front of this building is an exact resemblance of the temple of Theseus at Athens, having a noble portico supported by six fluted columns.

The public libraries, news and reading rooms, are excellently supplied with both ancient and modern works, together with all the newspapers and periodicals of the day, and are as follows::

Lee's Royal Library, 384, High street, near the Plough Hotel, is the oldest circulating library in Cheltenham; it contains many thousand volumes of standard literature, in theology, biography, history, voyages, travels, &c.; the reading room, which is 80 feet long, opens into a large garden, giving it a very picturesque appearance, and is well supplied with all the London newspapers and popular periodicals, also the Irish, Scotch, Welsh and provincial papers; the library is constantly being increased, as every new work of merit and interest is purchased as soon as published for the use of subscribers.

Williams's English and Foreign Library, adjoining the Assembly Rooms, is nearly 100 feet in length, and contains an ample selection from the productions both of the home and foreign press. The reading rooms in the rear of the shop are fitted up with the utmost attention to the ease and comfort of subscribers. In the catalogue of this library will be found all that can be required, either by the most fastidious littérateur or the lovers of romance and light reading; and the London and provincial journals, with the leading periodicals, are always at hand. The proprietor has also a collection of very scarce old books, well deserving the inspection of those who are interested in the literature of the "olden time."

Wight and Bailey's Theological Library, Promenade, contains a large and well-selected stock of modern divinity, reprints from the olden divines, and standard works in the usual branches of literature; the circulating library consists of standard and modern works in theological, historical, and miscellaneous literature.

Lovesy's Imperial Library, opposite the Imperial Hotel, is a well-conducted establishment fitted-up with every attention to the comfort and convenience of its numerous subscribers. The circulating library is large, and is well-supplied with all new publications of merit and general interest, in theology, history, biography, voyages, travels, periodicals and miscellaneous literature, immediately on their appearing; the reading-room is liberally supplied with all the principalLondon and provincial papers, magazines, reviews, &c.

Davies's Montpellier Library is situate adjoining the Montpellier Rotunda; the reading room is well-supplied with the London daily and weekly papers, with magazines, reviews, periodicals, history, biography, romance and other works of interest and literature; this library, from its contiguity to the Spa, forms a cool retreat, and is a favorite resort during the summer season.

The Church of England Reading Association was established in 1839, for the use of the humbler classes of the Church of England; it has a reading room, and occasionally lectures are given on literary and scientific subjects. It is situate in Regent street, and the president is the Rev. F. Close.

The sacred edifices comprise six churches under the establishment, besides chapels for various religious denominations, including a Friends' Meeting House and a Jews' Synagogue.

St. Mary's, the parish church, situate about the centre of the town, slightly to the south of High street, is an ancient cruciform structure in the Gothic style, and consists of a nave, a transept, two aisles and a chancel; a square tower rises from the intersections, surmounted by an elegant and lofty octagonal spire; the tower contains a peal of ten finetoned bells; in the northern transept is a beautiful circular Gothic window, forty-three feet in circumference, divided into thirty-three compartments; the interior of this sacred edifice is 117 feet in length and 65 in breadth, affording accommodation for nearly 2000 persons. The living is an endowed

curacy. On the north side of the churchyard is an ancient stone cross, consisting of a single shaft rising from the centre of a square pedestal, on each side of which are three stone steps; doubtless this was one of the many parochial crosses* erected in the way leading to parish churches, in order" to inspire reverence for the mysteries which the people were about to witness."

Holy Trinity, situate at the north end of Portland street, is a modern erection, and considered to be a chapel of ease to St. Mary's; it was consecrated by the Bishop of Gloucester, April 11th, 1822, and consists of three aisles; in the centre and over the principal entrance is a tower, surmounted by 8 light pinnacles; the building is 74 ft. long and 51 in breadth, accommodating 900 persons, and cost about £10,000., principally defrayed by the munificence of Lord Sherborne.

St. John's, situate at the west side of Berkeley street, was finished in 1829, and consecrated on January 22nd in that year; it is a handsome structure, the entrance being ornamented with lofty pillars, and the interior neat and commodious, capable of holding about 800 persons.

St. James's is in Suffolk square, and was built by private subscription, consecrated October 6th, 1830, by the Rev. Dr. Monk, bishop of the diocese; the style of architecture is strictly Gothic, its west front is much admired, and the interior (which contains a fine-toned and powerful organ, by Gray of London) exceedingly beautiful, capable of holding 1500 persons.

St. Paul's parochial church, situate on the north side of the High-street, at the end of St. Paul's-street, was erected in 1828, partly by voluntary contributions and partly by funds furnished by the Commissioners for building new Churches; its front presents an elevation of lofty pillars, above which is a handsome pediment, surmounted by an octagonal cupola; its interior provides accommodation for 1600 persons; the organ was presented by the late minister, the Rev. Sir H. Thompson, Bart.

* This cross has by some been referred to the reign of Edward I., but subsequent to that period crosses were raised in England. When the body of Queen Eleanor was conveyed from Lincolnshire to Westminster, such was the affection of that monarch for his deceased wife, that at every stage where the corpse rested, the king had a cross erected, and this was the origin of Charing Cross, London.

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