Notices of the Historic Persons Buried in the Chapel of
St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London. By Doyne C. Bell. (John Murray.) —" The towers of Julius" are happily now more of an interest than "lasting shame" to London, and England in general. It is the Pan- theon of defeat, as Westminster Abbey is the Pantheon of success. Probably, on the whole, the judgment of events has been right ; be that as it may, we are now able to look with impartial interest on both sides. This volume; which has been executed with industry and care, is full of curious reading. It begins with an account of the "operations of November, 1876," when, the chancel being about to be restored, it was found necessary to put the pavement into a secure condition, and certain excavations had to be made. The chief result was the discovery of some remains which, beyond all reasonable doubt, wore identified as those of Anne Boleyn. The bones of Protector Somerset were also found. After this follows an account of the monuments in the chapel, which are chiefly those of former " Lieutenants of the Tower," and other military dignitaries, the oldest being that of Sir Richard Cholmondeley, 1522, the most recent, Lord do Ros, 1874. Then fellows the "Burial Register," containing not a few interesting entries,—as, for instance, in 1600, "Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was beheaded in tho Tower, and was buried in the chappel the xvth of February ;" and thirteen years later, "Sir Thomas Overbury, prisoner, poysoned : buried the xvth of September." In 1689 occurs "George, Lord Jofferies, buried 20th April ;" and, last of all who perished by the axe in this country, "Simon, Lord Levet, beheaded on Tower Hill : on 17th April, 1747." The Tower was scarcely favourable, on the whole, to longevity, but we find, in 1758, "John Tudor, an ancient Briton, who had been warder in the Tower for upwards of sixty years, aged 107 years." Chapter vi. gives an account of the "Burials in the Chapel," and then follows the "Biographical Notices," which constitute the main portion of the book, which is one which we can heartily recommend.
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