CHAPTER XLIV.
RUSSELL AND BEDFORD SQUARES, &c.
"Fountains and trees our wearied pride do please,
Even in the midst of gilded palaces;
And in our towns the prospect gives delight,
Which opens round the country to our sight."—Spratt.
The Site of Russell Square at the Beginning of the Present Century—Statue of Francis, Fifth Duke of Bedford—General Appearance of the
Square—Bolton House—A Pair of Eccentric Peers—Lord Chancellor Loughborough—Other Distinguished Residents—Bedford Place—Montagu Place—Keppel Street—Bedford Square—Lord Eldon and the Prince Regent—The "Princess Olivia of Cumberland"—Gower
Street—The Toxophilite Society—Jack Bannister, the Actor—The Eccentric Henry Cavendish—University College—Flaxman's Models—The
Graphic Club—University College Hospital—Dr. Williams' Library.
On the demolition of Bedford House, the adjoining
lands were laid out for building purposes, and
Russell and Bedford Squares were erected about
the year 1804, and were named after the Russells,
Earls and Dukes of Bedford. For some time
previously—as we have already shown in our
account of Bloomsbury Square, Great Ormond
Street, and other places in the locality—many of
the houses in the immediate neighbourhood were
very extensively inhabited by judges and successful
lawyers; and on the building of the above squares
the houses were so largely taken up by members of
the legal profession, on account of their nearness to
Lincoln's Inn, that in course of time the epithet of
"Judge-land" came to be applied to this particular
part of Bloomsbury, in much the same manner as in
late years Pall Mall and its neighbourhood came to
be called "Club-land."
Russell Square, which we enter at the western
end of Guilford Street, occupies part of what in
1720 was called Southampton Fields, but what in
later times became known as Long Fields. At the
beginning of the present century, Long Fields lay
waste and useless. There were nursery grounds
northward; towards the north-west were the grounds
of the Toxophilite Society; Bedford House, with its
lawn and magnificent gardens planted with limetrees, occupied the south side; whilst Baltimore
House, long the residence of Lord Chancellor
Loughborough, stood on the east side, at the corner
of Guilford Street. This square is one of the
largest in the metropolis; in fact, it is the next
largest to Lincoln's Inn Fields. The houses are of
brick, with the lower part in some cases cemented.
Something of an architectural character is given to
a block on the west side, between Montagu Place
and Keppel Street, but the majority of the houses
are better inside than out. On the south side of
thecentral enclosure, looking down Bedford Place,
and facing the monument to Fox in Bloomsbury
Square, is a statue which recalls to mind one of
those illustrious statesmen of ancient Rome, whose
time was divided between the labours of the Senate
and those of their Sabine farms. The statue
represents that eminent and patriotic agriculturist,
Francis, the fifth Duke of Bedford, with one hand
resting on a plough, while in the other he holds
some ears of corn. There are four emblematical
figures at the corners of the pedestal, which is
adorned in bas-relief with various rural attributes.
The statue—a very fine specimen of Sir Richard
Westmacott's best style—was erected in 1809.
SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE'S HOUSE, RUSSELL SQUARE.
A writer in the St. James's Magazine thus speaks
of this locality: "Russell Square is, under ordinary
circumstances, a very nice place to walk in. If
those troublesome railway vans and goods wagons
would not come lumbering and clattering, by way
of Southampton Row, through the square, and up
Guilford Street, on their way to King's Cross, 'La
Place Roussell' would be as cosy and tranquil as
'La Place Royale' in Paris. It has the vastness
of Lincoln's Inn Fields without its dinginess."
The handsome mansion on the south-east side
of the square, at the corner of Guilford Street, was
built, in 1759, for the eccentric and profligate Lord
Baltimore; and, as we have already stated, it
was at first called Baltimore House. Hither his
lordship decoyed a young milliner, Sarah Woodcock, and was prosecuted for having caused her
ruin, but acquitted. He died in 1771 at Naples,
whence his remains were brought to London, and
lay in state, as we have mentioned, at Exeter
Change. The house was subsequently occupied
by the equally eccentric Duke of Bolton, whose
name was then given to it. Northouck remarks,
wittily and truly, that "it was either built without
a plan, or else has had very whimsical owners;
for the door has been shifted to different parts of
the house, until at last it is lost to all outward
appearance, being now (1776) carried into the
stable-yard!"
The Duke of Bolton, who was, of course, known
as Lord Henry Powlett during his elder brother's
life, served in early life in the navy, in which, however, if we may believe Sir N. W. Wraxall, "he
had gained no laurels." He was supposed generally to be the Captain Whiffle so humorously
described by Smollett in his "Roderick Random."
His mother was Miss Lavinia Fenton, an actress
in her day (well known for her impersonation of
"Polly Peachum").
Bolton House was afterwards occupied by Lord
Loughborough when Lord Chancellor, as also by
Sir John Nicholl and Sir Vicary Gibbs.
On the 21st of June, 1799, George III., with
the Queen and several members of the Royal
Family, assembled at Bolton House, when occupied by Lord Loughborough, and after partaking
of a cold collation, proceeded to view the Foundling Hospital. Lord Loughborough, though an
Erskine by birth, was a "paltry and servile politician," according to Lord Holland. He died
soon after his elevation to the Earldom of Rosslyn,
and George III. pronounced his funeral oration by
declaring that "he had not left a greater rogue
behind him."
When the square was laid out for building,
Bolton House was the only mansion standing, and
this was incorporated into the rest of the square,
though somewhat incongruously; and though it is
now divided into two large residences, it still
retains its name of Bolton House.
Passing to the other mansions in the square, we
may state that Sir Samuel Romilly lived and died
(by his own hand) at No. 21; Chief-Justice Abbot
(Lord Tenterden) at No. 28; Mr. Justice Holroyd
at No. 46; Mr. T. (afterwards Lord) Denman at
No. 50; and at No. 12, Mr. W. Tooke, F.R.S.,
the writer on currency and political economy,
M.P. for Truro in 1835–7.
At No. 67 lived for some time the lawyer, poet,
philanthropist, and man of letters, Sir Thomas N.
Talfourd, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas,
who died suddenly, in 1854, in the court-house at
Stafford, while addressing the grand jury.
A person no less distinguished, though in quite
another way, Sir Thomas Lawrence, the courtly
painter, and President of the Royal Academy, resided at No. 65 for a quarter of a century. He
died there in 1830, after a very short illness. Concerning the residence of Sir Thomas Lawrence,
there is a note in the Gentleman's Magazine for
January, 1818, by the Rev. John Mitford, which
says:—"We shall never forget the Cossacks,
mounted on their small white horses, with their
long spears grounded, standing as sentinels at the
door of this great painter, whilst he was taking the
portrait of their general, Platoff."
Bedford Place, connecting Russell Square with
Bloomsbury Square, was built between 1801 and
1805 on the site of Bedford House. Here, at the
house of Mr. Henry Fry, died, in 1811, Richard
Cumberland, the author of The West Indian. In
Upper Bedford Place, on the opposite side of
Russell Square, in 1826, and for some years later,
lived Mr. Richard Bethell, afterwards Lord Chancellor and Lord Westbury.
At No. 4, Montagu Place, between Russell and
Bedford Squares, in 1841, lived the late Sir John
T. Coleridge, father of Lord Coleridge; he had
previously resided in Torrington Square, and afterwards in Park Crescent, Regent's Park. To the
north-west of Russell Square are Woburn and Torrington Squares, in the latter of which was the
residence of Sir Harris Nicolas, editor of Nelson's
Despatches and Letters, and a distinguished antiquary and genealogist. He died at Boulogne in
1848.
Running parallel with Montagu Place, and with
Store Street, forming a communication with Tottenham Court Road, is Keppel Street. This is chiefly
noticeable as containing a chapel for Anabaptists.
Bedford Square, on the west side of the British
Museum, stands on a part of the Bedford estate,
and covers some considerable portion of the old
"rookery" of St. Giles's; it is about six acres in
extent, or exactly half the size of Lincoln's Inn
Fields. In the reign of George IV. and William
IV. it was extensively occupied by lawyers who had
climbed to the top of their profession, and also by
very many of the judges, among whom were Chief
Justice Sir Nicholas Tindall, Sir John Richardson,
Mr. Justice Burrough, Mr. Justice Bayley, Mr.
Justice Littledale, Baron Graham, Baron J. A.
Park, and Mr. Justice Patteson. No. 7 was for
many years occupied by Sir Robert Harry Inglis,
the venerable M.P. for Oxford University.
At No. 6 lived Lord Chancellor Eldon from 1804
down to 1816; and here occurred the memorable
interview between his lordship and the Prince
Regent, afterwards George IV., which has been so
often told, though it will bear telling here again
in the words of Mr. Peter Cunningham:—"The
Prince came alone to the Chancellor's house, and
upon the servant opening the door, observed that
as his lordship had the gout, he knew he must be at
home, and therefore desired that he might be shown
up to the room where the Chancellor was sitting
or lying. The servant said he was too ill to be
seen, and that he had also positive orders to show
ïn no one. The Prince then asked to be shown
the staircase, which he immediately ascended, and
pointed first to one door and then to another,
asking, 'Is that your master's room?' The servant answered 'No,' until he came to the right
one, upon which he opened the door, seated himself by the Chancellor's bedside, and asked him to
appoint his friend Jekyll, the great wit, to the
vacant office of Master in Chancery. The Chancellor refused—there could be no more unfit appointment. The Prince, perceiving the humour of
the Chancellor, and that he was firm to his determination not to appoint him, threw himself back in
the chair and exclaimed, 'How I do pity Lady
Eldon!' 'Good God!' said the Chancellor,
'what is the matter?' 'Oh, nothing!' answered
the Prince, 'except that she will never see you
again, for here I remain until you promise to make
Jekyll a Master in Chancery.' Jekyll, of course,
obtained the appointment."
In March, 1816, during the riots at the Westend on account of the rejection of the Corn-Law
Alteration Bill, some portion of the mob proceeded
to Bedford Square, and broke the windows of the
house of the unpopular Tory Lord Chancellor.
In Alfred Place, Bedford Square, was living in
1820 Olivia Serres, née Wilmott, when she came
forward before the world to claim royal rank and
precedence as "the Princess Olivia of Cumberland,"
declaring that she was the legitimate daughter of
Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, youngest
brother of George III., who had created her, by
a somewhat informal document in his own handwriting, Duchess of Lancaster. Her claim to this
title was discussed more than once in the House of
Commons, and was revived after her death by her
children; but it was finally negatived by a decree
of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes,
in June, 1866. The "Princess" died in 1834,
and was buried in the churchyard of St. James's,
Piccadilly.
Gower Street, which runs from the north-east
corner of Bedford Square into the Euston Road, is
a broad thoroughfare, nearly a third of a mile in
length, but dull and monotonous in appearance.
Mr. James Grant, in his "Travels in Town," is not
far from the mark when he describes this as "a
street which scarcely exhibits any signs of being an
inhabited place. . . . . Here and there," he
writes, "you see a solitary pedestrian, or perchance
a one-horse chaise. The stranger in passing along
this street feels an emotion of melancholy come
over him, caused by its dulness and unbroken
monotony, and wonders how people can betray so
entire a disregard of the truth as to represent the
metropolis as a place of business and bustle, of
noise and din."
"This street," observes a writer in Once a Week,
in 1867, "was still so perfectly free from smoke
forty years ago that grapes were ripened by the sun
in the open air in the garden of one at least of the
houses. Lord Eldon used often to speak of the fine
fruit which he raised in his garden here, and also
mentioned in Court the sad effect of the smoke
upon it. A still more extraordinary fact is that even
so late as the year 1800, Mr. William Bentham, of
Upper Gower Street, had nearly twenty-five dozen
of the finest and most delicious nectarines, all fit
for the table, gathered off three trees in his garden,
and that the same plot of ground continued, even
long after, to produce the richest-flavoured celery
in great abundance."
In 1791 the Toxophilite Society began to hold its
meetings in grounds on the eastern side of Gower
Street, under lease from the Duke of Bedford; and
they continued here till 1805, when they were driven
away westwards, the land being "required for building purposes." We shall meet with them again
when we come to the Regent's Park.
Gower Street in its time has numbered among its
residents a few remarkable men. At No. 65, Jack
Bannister, the actor, lived and died. "In the
drama," as we learn from a memoir in the Mirror,
"he was affecting, because he was natural and
simple; in society, he was distinguished by the
same characteristics. His unaffected hilarity in
conversation, the flexibility of his mind in adapting
itself to every subject which arose, and the almost
puerile good humour with which he recalled and
recited the incidents of his earliest life and observation, formed altogether a picture equally
singular and interesting. In these moments he
showed himself to the greatest advantage; his
animated countenance displayed at once the intelligence of a man, the sweetness of a woman, and the
innocent sportiveness of a child. His social virtues
will never be forgotten; they assured to him the
respect and the esteem of all; he enjoyed upon
earth full reward of his talents and good qualities,
while his hopes of an hereafter were cherished with
a warmth and confidence resulting from a true and
lively faith."
A house at the corner of Montagu Place and
Gower Street was for some years the town residence of the eccentric philosopher, the Hon. Henry
Cavendish, who was well known for his chemical
researches. Few visitors were admitted there, but
some found their way across the threshold, and
have reported that books and apparatus formed
its chief furniture. For the former, however,
Cavendish set apart a separate mansion in Dean
Street, Soho. Here he had collected a large and
carefully-chosen library of works on science, which
he threw open to all engaged in research; and
to this house he went for his own books, as one
would go to a circulating library, signing a formal
receipt for such of the volumes as he took with
him. Cavendish, it is asserted, lived comfortably,
but made no display; and his few guests were
treated on all occasions to the same fare, and it
was not very sumptuous. A Fellow of the Royal
Society reports that "if any one dined with Cavendish he invariably gave them a leg of mutton and
nothing else." Another Fellow says that Cavendish
"seldom had company at his house, but on one
occasion three or four scientific men were to dine
with him, and when his housekeeper came to ask
what was to be got for dinner, he said, 'A leg of
mutton!' 'Sir, that will not be enough for five.'
'Well, then, get two,' was the reply."
Dr. Thomas Thomson writes of Cavendish:—"He was shy and bashful to a degree bordering
on disease. He could not bear to have any
person introduced to him, or to be pointed out
in any way as a remarkable man. One Sunday
evening he was standing at Sir Joseph Banks's,
in a crowded room, conversing with Mr. Hatchett,
when Dr. Ingenhousz, who had a good deal of
pomposity of manner, came up with an Austrian
gentleman in his hand, and introduced him
formally to Mr. Cavendish. He mentioned the
titles and qualifications of his friend at great
length, and said that he had been particularly
anxious to be introduced to a philosopher so profound and so universally known and celebrated as
Mr. Cavendish. As soon as Dr. Ingenhousz had
finished, the Austrian gentleman began to speak,
assuring Mr. Cavendish that his principal reason
for coming to London was to see and converse
with one of the greatest ornaments of the age, and
one of the most illustrious philosophers that ever
existed. To all these high-flown speeches Mr.
Cavendish answered not a word, but stood with his
eyes cast down, quite abashed and confounded.
At last, spying an opening in the crowd, he darted
through it with all the speed of which he was
master, nor did he stop till he reached his carriage,
which drove him directly home."
Sir Humphry Davy, in addition to the eloquent
eulogium passed on Mr. Cavendish soon after his
death, left this less studied but more graphic
sketch of the philosopher amongst his papers:—"Cavendish was a great man, with extraordinary
singularities. His voice was squeaking, his
manner nervous, he was afraid of strangers, and
seemed, when embarrassed, even to articulate with
difficulty. He wore the costume of our grandfathers; was enormously rich, but made no use of
his wealth. He gave me once some bits of
platinum for my experiments, and came to see my
results on the decomposition of the alkalis, and
seemed to take an interest in them; but he encouraged no intimacy with any one. … He
lived latterly the life of a solitary, came to the
club dinner, and to the Royal Society, but received nobody at his own house. He was acute,
sagacious, and profound, and, I think, the most
accomplished British philosopher of his time." He
died in 1810.
On the east side of Gower Street is University
College, which was founded in the year 1826, for
the purpose of affording "literary and scientific
education at a moderate expense;" divinity being
excluded. The credit of the idea of a university
for London, in which the ancient languages should
be taught, free from those artificial restrictions
which bound Oxford and Cambridge so tightly,
has generally been given to Lord Brougham and
the other Whig politicians of his time. Cyrus
Redding, however, in his "Recollections," claims
the praise for Tom Campbell, the poet, who certainly took an active part in its foundation, and
even journeyed—indolent as he was by nature—to Berlin in order to observe with his own eyes
the professional system of Prussia, and to mature
a plan for the government of the university.
Testimony to the same effect was eventually borne
by Lord Brougham himself.
The foundation-stone of the college was laid on
Monday, the 30th of April, 1827, by H.R.H. the
Duke of Sussex, who had long been associated
with the leaders of the Whig party. The architect
was Mr. William Wilkins, R.A., the designer of
the National Gallery. The Duke of Sussex, on
laying the stone, said, "May God bless this undertaking which we have so happily commenced,
and make it prosper for honour, happiness, and
glory, not only of the metropolis, but of the whole
country." He also expressed a hope that the
undertaking would excite the old universities to
fresh exertions, and force them to reform abuses.
An "oration," or prayer, was then offered up by
the Rev. Dr. Maltby, afterwards Bishop of Durham.
The ceremony was followed by a dinner at Freemasons' Hall, nearly all the chief Whigs of the day
being among the guests.
The building was opened on the 1st of October
in the following year, under the title of the
University of London. Its constitution then was
that of a joint-stock company, and the original
deed of settlement provided for a dividend not
exceeding four per cent. on the share capital—a
dividend which, as a matter of fact, was never paid,
inasmuch as from the first the expenditure of the
college absorbed all that portion of the receipts
in which it was supposed the dividend would be
found. Thomas Campbell, then in the height of
his celebrity, was appointed Lecturer on Poetry on
the first opening of the institution. As the title
of "University" was nothing more than a title,
conveying with it none of the privileges we are
accustomed to associate with the name, not even
the power of granting degrees, the House of
Commons in 1836 prayed for a charter of incorporation conferring such privileges and power.
In answer, the Government of the day founded
what is now known as the University of London,
and proposed to the old institution to take the
name of University College. To this proposal the
proprietors, on the recommendation of the council,
agreed, only stipulating that their college—as they
had hoped would be done for their university—should be incorporated by royal charter. The
idea seems to have been that by this means would
be extinguished all the pecuniary rights of the
proprietors. As this, however, was not effected,
the charter, indeed, not referring to the subject at
all, and as it was thought that from these rights
there might at some future time arise inconvenience
to the college, a private Act of Parliament was
applied for with a view to settle the matter once
and for all. This was obtained in 1869, and had
not only the result desired, but also the effect of
considerably enlarging the powers of the institution in several directions—among others, in the
education of women, and instruction in the Fine
Arts.
The governing body of the college consists of
a council, elected by its members, who in their
turn comprise the Governors, the Fellows, and the
Life Governors, the first of whom, as representing
the registered proprietors of the original shares,
although, as we have said, all their pecuniary rights
have been abolished, retain the privilege of nominating their successors. The Council itself consists of a President, Vice-President, and Treasurer,
and not more than twenty-one or less than sixteen
other members, six of whom, eligible to re-election,
retire every year. The powers of this body are
very wide—comprising, indeed, the sole and entire
management of the college, both in the financial
and educational departments, and also the government of the hospital to the same degree. There
is, however, a subordinate body known as the
Senate, and consisting of the professorial staff,
which, having no voice in the government of the
College, and no existence, indeed, under the Act
of Parliament, is yet empowered to advise with
the council on various subjects of management,
especially of the libraries and museum, and has,
moreover, a good deal to say to any contemplated
addition or alteration in its own numbers. In
connection with the larger establishment is a
school, which stands to it in the light of a feeder,
a considerable number of well-instructed pupils
yearly passing up into the ranks of its students.
The head master stands in all respects on the
same footing as the professors of the college, and,
like them, is subject to the regulations and control of the council. There are three faculties in
the college—of arts and laws, of science, and
of medicine—besides a department of civil and
mechanical engineering. In the first two faculties
are numbered thirty-one professorships, and of the
eleven scientific chairs therein included, but one is
endowed, the chair of physiology, although the
professor of geology receives a yearly sum of £31
from the Goldsmid Fund.
The college comprises a central façade and two
wings, and has a total length of about 400 feet.
In the centre, which looks to the west, is an
immense Corinthian portico, formed by twelve
columns supporting the pediment, and elevated
on a lofty plinth, approached by numerous steps
effectively arranged. Behind the pediment is a
cupola, with a lantern light, and in the great hall
beneath it are placed on view the original models
of the principal works of John Flaxman, which
were presented to the institution some ten years
after the death of the sculptor by his sister-in-law,
Miss Denman, to whom, with the late Miss Flaxman, belonged the remaining works of the great
English sculptor—in the shape of drawings, models
in plaster and wax, and other interesting relics—which were disposed of by public auction in April,
1876, and realised a sum of more than £2,000.
In the vestibule of the college is Flaxman's
restoration of the Farnese Hercules; beneath the
dome is his grand life-size group of "Michael and
Satan;" and around the walls are his various monumental and other bas-reliefs. In an adjoining
room was placed Flaxman's "Shield of Achilles"
and other works.
In the ground-floor are lecture-rooms, cloisters for
the exercise of the pupils, two semi-circular theatres,
the chemical laboratory, and museum of materia
medica. In the upper floor, besides the great hall
above mentioned, are museums of natural history
and anatomy, two theatres, two libraries, and other
rooms set apart for the purposes of the college.
The principal library is richly decorated in the
Italian style; it is large and valuable, containing
upwards of 68,000 volumes and 16,000 pamphlets,
to which has lately been added a fine collection
of works on mathematics, physics, and astronomy,
the gift of the late Mr. J. T. Graves. The laboratory, completed from the plan of Professor Donaldson in 1845, is stated to combine all the recent
improvements of our own schools with that of Professor Liebig, at Giessen.
At University College the Graphic Club, composed of artists, painters, and engravers, used to
hold their monthly meetings for the purpose of
interchange of thought on matters connected with
the fine arts. The club was originally established
by the late Mr. John Burnet and his friends; and
it numbered among its members J. M. W. Turner,
Prout, Landseer, Clarkson Stanfield, and other departed worthies.
On the opposite side of Gower Street, facing the
college gates, is the North London, or University College Hospital. It was founded soon after
the college itself, under the presidency of Lord
Brougham, for the relief of poor sick and maimed
persons, and the delivery of poor married women;
and also for furthering the objects of the college,
by affording improved means of practical instruction in medicine and surgery to the medical students
of the college under the superintendence of its
professors. The building, which was erected from
the designs of Mr. Alfred Ainger, affords accommodation for 150 beds, fourteen of which, in two
separate wards, are devoted exclusively to the use
of children under twelve years of age. The total
number of persons relieved yearly is about 15,000,
at the cost of £11,000; whilst the income from
subscriptions and other sources amounts to not
quite half that sum, thus leaving a yearly deficit of
nearly £6,000 to be provided for.
In Grafton Street East, and nearly opposite the
hospital, is the Dissenters' Library, which was originally founded in Cripplegate, (fn. 1) in the year 1711, by
Dr. Daniel Williams, a Presbyterian minister, for the
use of the Presbyterian, Independent, and Baptist
persuasions, with a salary for a librarian and housekeeper. In pursuance of his will, a building was
erected in Redcross Street, with space for 40,000
volumes (though the original collection did not comprise more than 16,000 volumes), and an apartment
for the curator. In the library was also a register
in which Dissenters might record the births of their
children. When the premises in Redcross Street
were required for the extension of the Metropolitan
Railway, in 1865, the library was temporarily transferred to a hired house in Queen Square, Bloomsbury, where it remained for eight years, until a home
was found for it here. The site of the new library
cost £4,000, and the new building in which it is
lodged £7,000 more. It is a plain and substantial
Gothic building. The basement includes, besides
offices, strong rooms for the custody of manuscripts.
On the ground floor are the entrance-hall, committeerooms, waiting-rooms, &c. The library occupies
the whole first floor, which is lofty and well lighted.
The upper portion of the building is occupied by
the librarian. The architect was Mr. T. Chatfield
Clarke, and the structure is as nearly fireproof as
possible.
The library, a very rich collection of theological
works, and especially of Nonconformist literature,
was first actually opened in 1729, and the new library
was completed and opened in September, 1873.
It now comprises about 30,000 volumes, among
which are various editions of the Bible, also the
first folio edition of Shakespeare; but there are no
Caxtons or Wynkyn de Wordes. The library is
open to respectable persons of every class daily
throughout the year, excepting during the month of
August and in Christmas week; on Good Friday
and Whit Monday it is also closed. Books are
allowed to be taken out under proper restrictions.
Upon the walls of the library are portraits of
Richard Baxter, by Riley; of Matthew Henry, of
Wm. Tyndale, of Joseph Priestley, by Fuseli; of
John Milton, and of Isaac Watts. The trustees,
twenty-three in number, must all be Presbyterians;
and it may be added that each trustee makes a
present of books to the library.
Of Dr. Williams's ministerial career we have
already spoken in our account of Redcross Street;
but it may be added that he was one of the friends
and fellow-workers of Baxter, and an advocate of
what was known as "occasional conformity." He
lived very frugally, but having married two rich
wives, was able to lay by money towards his
favourite scheme. He bequeathed money to the
University of Glasgow for the support of eight
students for the ministry, besides other sums in
aid of the maintenance of poor ministers and their
widows. He took care that his library should
be open to persons of all denominations. Dr.
Williams was among those who urged the Nonconformist body to refuse the concessions offered
to them in conjunction with the Roman Catholics,
and became one of the firmest supporters of the
House of Brunswick.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, GOWER STREET.
A portion of Dr. Williams's estates, bequeathed
for 2,000 years, was appropriated to the following
objects:—The formation of a library; exhibitions
at Glasgow University, and divinity scholarships;
also to the establishment of schools for poor
children in various parts of England and Wales;
to the payment of poor Dissenting ministers;
Christian teachers in Ireland, the West Indies,
and New England; and to the distribution of the
Doctor's own works among suitable persons.