Tower of London

an ancient fortress and state prison. It is an irregular pile of buildings surrounded by battlemented stone walls and a deep moat. It stands on the north bank of the Thames in the eastern part of the city, beyond the site of the ancient city walls. The moat surrounds a five-sided space of thirteen acres. The square keep, the center of the fortress, was built in the reign of William the Conqueror. The tower was originally a palace and a castle, but was converted early into a state prison,-the Bastille of England.

Many an object of royal fear or hatred, as well as many a criminal of high estate, was confined in the Tower. Sometimes the condemned were executed in the court, but more often they were taken forth to Tower Hill under guard. Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, Catherine Howard, Admiral Seymour, Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Sir John Eliot, the Earl of Essex, and many other illustrious prisoners who were beheaded by royal order lie buried in the Tower Chapel. It is one of the saddest spots on earth. The rooms in which these prisoners were confined are still shown. Among other prisoners held in the Tower for a longer or shorter length of time may be mentioned John Baliol, William Wallace, David Bruce, King John of France, Archbishop Cranmer, Princess Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, the Earl of Strafford, Archbishop Laud, and the Duke of Marlborough.

Visitors are admitted freely. One of the spots most likely to attract attention is the stairway under which the remains of the two young princes murdered by Richard III were found. Cases of antiquities contain armor, swords, maces, pikes, crossbows, longbows, battleaxes, and ancient firearms. Two brass cannon taken by General Wolfe at Quebec are shown.

The crown jewels or regalia of England are kept in a strong tower. There are magnificent crowns and circlets, studded with gems. The gold and the jewels in the collection are said to be worth $15,000,000. See Thames; London