The mansion--Blickling Hall--is one of the most perfect examples remaining of the time of James I.; the exterior has undergone few changes; the bridge, the moat, the turrets, the curiously-formed gables, and the double row of spacious and convenient out-offices--connected with the mansion by an arcade--are characteristic of the period, while elaborate finish and costly ornament indicate the wealth and rank of its noble owners. The high-road passes the gates, and runs within a few yards of the house; a small green sward only separating it from the public pathway. The moat is crossed by a Bridge of remarkably light and graceful proportions; on either side of this bridge are Pedestals with bulls (the heraldic crest of the Hobarts) bearing blank shields. The entrance-porch is exceedingly beautiful; the design is simple and elegant; “it may be regarded,” according to Mr. Shaw, “as one of the earliest attempts at the restoration of classical architecture, and appears to be formed upon the model of the Arch of Titus at Rome.” In the spandrels are sculptured figures of Victory. Over the entablature, supported by two Doric columns, is an enriched compartment, bearing the arms and quarterings of Sir Henry Hobart, Bart. (by whom the stately mansion was erected). A massive Oak Door contains the date 1620; the knocker of this door is peculiarly quaint; a copy of it acts as the initial letter commencing this description. Passing a small quadrangular court, we enter the Hall, from which opens the grand Staircase of Oak, the newels of which are crowned with figures. Unhappily, the oak has been covered with paint; and time having removed some of the figures, their places have been supplied by others out of harmony with the character of the venerable structure.[9] Of the several apartments, the only one that demands particular notice is the Library--a noble room, filled with the rarest and most valuable books. It measures one hundred and twenty-seven feet; the ceiling is a magnificent collection of works of art, unsurpassed by anything of the kind in Great Britain. It consists of a series of models, representing the Senses, the Passions and the Elements, in low relief--comprising a very large number of subjects, no two of which are alike. The library is--as a private collection--extensive; the books it contains are generally “large paper copies,” and in the finest possible state. Some of its treasures are unique--here are a volume of Saxon Homilies, and a Latin MS. of the Psalter, certainly as ancient as anything we possess in the Latin tongue, and several others, with and without illuminations, of very remote dates. Here also are two copies (imperfect) of the Coverdale Bible; an uncut copy of the diminutive Sedan New Testament, and a vast assemblage of the choicest productions of the early English press. It was formed by Maittaire for Sir Richard Ellys, Bart., of Norton, in Lincolnshire, to whom he dedicated his “Anacreon,” in 1725. The