At length this great hall becoming very ruinous, it was rebuilt by Richard II. in the year 1397, as it at present appears, together with the buildings on the east and west sides; and it was no sooner finished than it received the appellation of the new palace, to distinguish it from the old palace, where the house of Lords and Commons at present assemble. In the year 1399, the King kept his Christmas here, during which time 10000 persons were plentifully entertained in this spacious hall, and the other rooms of the palace; for whose supply were daily killed about eighty oxen, and three hundred sheep, besides a vast number of fowls. It is still used for our coronation feasts; and for the three great courts of justice, the chancery, king’s bench, and common pleas, besides the court of exchequer which adjoins to it. The front of this hall is extremely narrow, it is built with stone in the gothic taste, with a tower on each side the entrance, adorned with abundance of carved work. The print represents this front. The hall itself is esteemed the largest room in Europe unsupported by pillars, it being 270 feet in length and 74 broad. The roof is admired for the excellence of the workmanship, and the sides contain a number of shops belonging to booksellers, _&c._ It is paved with stone, and to the courts of justice at the end is an assent by a flight of steps. The inside is most remarkable for being so wide and having no columns to support a roof so large. It is a regular Gothic, and gives us a good idea of the skill in architecture of our fore fathers so early as the time of Richard II. WESTMINSTER HALL _court_, Dunning’s alley, Bishopsgate street. WESTMINSTER INFIRMARY, a plain neat building in James street, by Petty France, Westminster; founded for the relief of the sick, and of those who suffer by any of the unavoidable accidents to which the human frame is always liable. This charitable and noble foundation was first set on foot on the second of December, 1719, when the subscription was first opened, and trustees appointed. Benefactions were soon procured, and several of the most eminent Physicians and Surgeons not only became subscribers, but generously offered their assistance gratis. About the beginning of April 1720, a house was taken in Petty France, and fitted up with all the necessary accommodations for an infirmary; but it being soon found too small to contain the number of miserable objects brought thither, they four years after were removed to a larger house in Chapel street, where they continued till the present edifice in James street was erected. The standing orders of this noble charity are as follow. I. All persons who shall subscribe 2_l._ 2_s._ or more _per annum_, are trustees of this charity: but any trustee or subscriber neglecting to pay his subscription for the space of two years, is no longer deemed a trustee or subscriber, or to have any vote or privilege till his arrears are paid.