The said General H. Pulteney made his will duly executa in the presence of three witnesses,1 and thereby gave—

All his Messes, Grods, Lands, Tenemts, Heradit, and real Estate in the sd Coy of Midds, and also all and every his Manors, Messes, Lands, Tenements, Heredits, and Real Estate in the Coy of Somerset, and in the Coys of Montgomery, Salop, and York.

Unto Wm. Ld. Chetwynd and Hy. Burrard, Esq., and their hrs.

To the use of the sd W. L. Chetwynd and Hy. Burrard, their Ex, Ads, and Asss for 500 yrs to be computa from the Testors death, and after the determination of the så term.

To the use of his Cousin, Frances Pulteney, wife of Wm. Pulteney, Esq.,' for her life.

To the use of the sd Trustees and their hrs during the life of the sd Frances Pulteney, upon trust to preserve contingent Remrs.

To the use of the 1st and or Sons of the sd F. Pulteney, successively in Tail Male Rem".

To the use of Henrietta Laura Pulteney, daughter of the sd W. Pulteney, by the sd Frances, his wife, for her life.

To the sa Trustees to preserve contingt Remrs during her life.

To the use of the 1st and or Sons of her body successively in Tail Male.

To the use of H. Earl of Darlington for his life.

To Trustees to preserve contingt Remrs and immdly after his decease.

To the use of the 1st and or Sons of sd Earl of Darlington3 successively in Tail Male with Remr."

1 This will is almost a repetition of the Earl's will.

2 Originally W. Johnstone.

3 This was the father of the Earl of Darlington to whom the property devolved after the death of Henrietta Laura Pulteney above mentioned, who was created Countess of Bath, and died in 1808 without issue.

The later history of Bathwick is not without interest and some romantic incidents. The Earldom of Bath was conferred upon William Pulteney, in 1742, with remainder to the heirs male of his body. Lord Bath married Anna Maria, daughter of John Gumley, of Isleworth, by whom he had one son and one daughter, both of whom, with their mother, predeceased the Earl, on whose death, in 1764, the Earldom became extinct, and the whole of the estates devolved upon General Harry Pulteney, as stated. General Harry Pulteney had been aidede-camp to George II., and distinguished himself during the Seven Years' War. The general died in 1765, and in pursuance of his will, his vast property devolved upon his cousin, once removed, Frances Pulteney, who was the daughter of Daniel Pulteney. This lady married William Johnstone, of Westerhall, who succeeded to his brother's baronetcy, and afterwards assumed his wife's maiden name of Pulteney.' Sir William was an able and enterprising man. It was he, in the sense in which we use the word, who created Bathwick. He it was who connected the city with Bathwick, by constructing the Bridge in 1785. He granted leases, built houses, and under his auspices the beautiful suburb of Bathwick was called into existence. Sir William found it a swamp ; he left it a beautiful

1 In the latter part of the year 1748, Adam Smith fixed his residence in Edinburgh, where he was prevailed upon, by Lord Kames,* and some of his other friends, to deliver, during that and the two following seasons, courses of lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres. These were well attended by an audience composed chiefly of students of law and theology. Among his pupils he had the honour to reckon Mr. Wedderburn, afterwards Lord Loughborough, Mr. William Johnstone, afterwards Sir William Johnstone Pulteney, Bart. Sir W. Johnstone Pulteney founded, in 1790, the chair of Agriculture in the University of Edinburgh, and endowed it with a salary of £50 a year.

* It should be mentioned to the honour of Kames, that he was most anxious to promote the views and interests of youthful candidates for literary distinction, and that his patronage was of the greatest service, not to Smith only, but to other distinguished individuals.

part of the city, in which the genius of the architect was "builded into the walls," as a monument of his architectural taste and skill. Sir William left an only daughter, who, succeeding to the estate, on the death of her father and mother, was created Baroness Bath in 1792, and Countess of Bath in 1803. She married General Sir James Murray, Bart., who assumed the name of Pulteney, and died some years before his wife. Lady Bath was delicate in health and weak in mind. She was immensely wealthy, and bequeathed the great bulk of her fortune to a friend, who was not even distantly related to her, and whose descendants have taken the name and arms of Pulteney.

On the death of Lady Bath the last of the Pulteney family included in the provisions of General Harry Pulteney's will became extinct; and, with that event, the succession of the Earl of Darlington, afterwards Duke of Cleveland, by whose youngest son, the fourth Duke, the property is now enjoyed. Many of the leases, which were not granted in perpetuity, are now falling in, and in time the whole of such limited leases will become a vast accretion to the estate.

In 1818, Bathwick procured an Act of Parliament, by which it obtained powers to nominate commissioners, under whom it was to be paved and lighted, and to enjoy such other municipal and local advantages as placed it on a footing with other parts of the city proper. Under this Act Bathwick was governed, until it was finally absorbed in the municipal government of the city of Bath, of which it is now an integral part.

SYDNEY GARDENS, SPRING GARDENS, & VILLA GARDENS.

There were formerly two public pleasure gardens in Bathwick: the "Spring Gardens" and the "Villa Gardens." The former were laid out early in the 18th century on a site

1 Baldwin.

of about three acres, extending from the bank of the river in a line conterminous with Pulteney Street. The south end of Johnstone Street is built upon a portion of the site. The gardens were approached from the South Parade ferry, and from the other parts of the city by the old city ferry, which was accessible from "Slippery Lane” and “Boatstall Lane," through the east gate or portal. The gardens in themselves consisted of nothing more than a few stunted trees and a shady avenue, and would have been forgotten long ago but for the romantic grotto, in which Sheridan is said to have written his lines to Delia-in other words to his future wife, Eliza Ann Linley' :—

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'Then tell me, thou grotto of moss-cover'd stone,

And tell me, thou willow with leaves dripping dew,
Did Delia seem vex'd when Horatio was gone?
And did she confess her resentment to you?
Methinks now each bough, as you're waving it, tries
To whisper a cause for the sorrow I feel;
To hint how she frown'd when I dar'd to advise,
And sigh'd when she saw that I did it with zeal.
True, true, silly leaves, so she did, I allow;

She frown'd; but no rage in her looks did I see :
She frown'd; but reflection had clouded her brow:
She sigh'd; but, perhaps, 'twas in pity for me.
So may'st thou, green willow, for ages thus toss
Thy branches so lank o'er the slow winding stream;
And thou, stone grotto, retain all thy moss,

While yet there's a poet to make thee his theme."

The grotto was standing as late as 1801, but after the building of the Pulteney Bridge and when Sydney Gardens were opened, the Spring Gardens were little used.

1 See "Historic Houses," 1st series, p. 55.

The Villa Gardens for a time shared the patronage with Spring Gardens, except that the amusements were less refined and the ordinary frequenters, as a rule, of a lower class. The "Villa" may still be seen at the entrance to the "Villa Fields." This villa has been used for various purposes. After the gardens were closed, it was for a time the residence of the eccentric John Trusler; then it was the parish workhouse; and now is let out in "flats."

To say that Sydney Gardens are not what they once were, is only another way of saying that public taste has changed. Sydney Gardens have experienced great vicissitudes, but they have never ceased to serve the purposes of enjoyment, the promotion of health, and to be a resort for visitors and residents in the summer months, who in

"Retired leisure

In trim gardens take their pleasure,"

read their books in cool grot or in the leafy shadows of the groves. During these months there are Flower Shows-the great festivals of the year; alternately-afternoons and evenings—an excellent band plays, when the company promenade to its enlivening strains. Occasional fêtes are given also. The band is under the direction of an influential and publicspirited committee, by whom the gardens are leased, and which also provides many other excellent amusements in accordance with the tastes of the day. The mansion, which was formerly and for many years an hotel, and has served many other purposes, is now used as the Junior Department of the Bath College.

BATH COLLEGE.

Fifty years ago a project was set on foot to found a large college in Bathwick, to be called "Queen's College." The site was chosen, and the foundations laid, just below Sham