The space outside the ditch, forming the esplanade of the fortress, is known as Tower Hill. It was once divided by the city wall, which extended from the north to the edge of the ditch, having a postern at the junction, which still gives name to a row of houses, and to the east of which is Little Tower Hill. The ground covered by the Tower rises from the river, so that parts of the inner ward are forty feet above the water, and the ground north of and outside the ditch is eight to ten feet higher. This disadvantage was neutralised by the breadth of the ditch, while the descent towards the south, or entrance side, was of material advantage in repelling an attack. The object being to command the river and fill the ditch, the keep was placed as high as was consistent with these points.

It has been remarked by Sir F. Palgrave, that William, in settling the jurisdiction of his new fortress respected, as far as possible, the limits of the city of London. Only the smaller half of the enclosure was within the line of the old wall; and while the Tower liberties, if St. Katherine's be included within them, extend some distance eastward, or into the county of Middlesex, on the west frontier the authority of the Constable ranges but a little way beyond the counterscarp of the ditch. The area of the liberties proper is about twenty-six acres, of which the western portion stands in Tower Ward and All-Hallows Barking parish, and the eastern portion in the county of Middlesex.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION.

The WHITE, or CESAR'S TOWER, is the keep of the

fortress. It stands a little to the south-east of the centre of the inner ward, upon ground which, on the north is 40 ft., and on the south 15 ft. above the ordnance mean water-mark, so that the basement is at the ground level on one side, and above it on the other. It is quadrangular, 107 ft. north and south, by 118 ft. east and west. Its two western angles are square. That on the north-east is capped by a round stairturret, 22 ft. diameter, about one-third engaged, and having 3 ft. more projection upon the north than upon the east face. The south wall terminates eastward in a bold half-round bow of 42 ft. diameter, projecting on the east wall. This marks the apse of the chapel, and is the great peculiarity of this tower.

The keep rises 90 ft. from the floor to the crest of the present battlement. It is composed of three floors, or four stages. The walls are reinforced by the usual pilaster strips; on the east face two, on the north three, on the west and south, four each. The round turret has four pilasters, two being at its junction with the walls, and the bow four. They vary from 3 ft. to 6 ft. broad, and all are of 18 in. projection. They lessen by two sets-off, at 50 ft. and 75 ft. from the ground, and die away 8 ft. below the battlement. Also upon the flank of each front containing the two square angles is a strip 12 ft. broad, two to each angle, but so placed as not quite to cover it, so that three salient angles appear at each of the two corners. These four pilasters rise from the plinth unbroken to 16 ft. above the battlement, forming square turrets. A third turret, also square, is placed on the roof,

where, but for the bow, would be the south-east angle. Thus the keep is crowned by three square turrets and one round one.

The loops of the basement are seen to open just below those, now windows, of the second stage. The openings of the third stage, probably single-light windows of moderate size, but now enlarged, appear, one between each pair of pilasters, and each below a large plain round-headed and slightly-recessed relieving arch, springing from a strip of wall left as a sort of pier against each pilaster. The base of this arcade is a set-off in the wall stopped by the pilasters.

The lights of the fourth or upper stage may be of about their original size. On the south wall, between the two western pilasters, the windows, of 2 ft. opening, are in pairs, having a plain baluster in common, and each pair being within a shallow, round-headed recess, so that the eight windows form a short arcade. One pair are probably the only windows in the keep that present quite their original appearance; for the baluster, long since removed, was found bricked-up in the adjacent wall, and is now in its proper place. It was from one of these windows that Bishop Flambard let himself down.

The exterior has been defaced by pointing with flint chips and mortar, and the substitution of Portland for the old ashlar dressings, but the windows, though enlarged into casements, represent the old openings; and enough of the aspect of the original building may be inferred, to justify the restorations judiciously commenced by Mr. Salvin.

The stair-case, 11 ft. diameter, contained within the circular or north-east turret, rises from the floor to the summit, and communicates with every floor, and with the leads.

The Basement is below ground on the north, at the ground level on the south front. The walls are from 12 ft. to 15 ft. thick, and the internal area about 91 ft. by 73 ft. This is crossed by a wall 10 ft. thick, which rises to the summit, and divides the building into a larger western and smaller eastern portion. The latter is again subdivided into a larger northern and smaller southern part, by another wall, also carried through, so that every floor is divided into three chambers. The larger chambers are all ceiled with timber; all the smaller are vaulted. The basement was reached only from above by the great wellstair. The west chamber is 91 ft. by 35 ft.; the eastern 67 ft. by 28 ft.; and the vault, the sub-crypt of the chapel, known in Tower phrase as "Little Ease," is 15 ft. by 47 ft., the east end being semicircular. A door leads from the east into the west chamber, and from the former into Little Ease. recesses in the walls ascend to a line of loops, giving air, but very little light.

Bold

In modern times a shaft has been sunk 10 ft. in the south-west angle of this floor, and a tunnel cut through its twenty-four feet of foundation towards the river quay, and another door on the other side of the angle has been cut at the ground level. The two larger chambers have been vaulted in modern brick, and are filled with iron bedsteads. Little Ease has been lined

with deal, as a powder magazine, and passages cut through its east and west ends.

The Second Stage much resembles the basement. The walls are about 13 ft. thick, the cross-wall 8 ft. In the latter are three openings 6 ft. wide and 15 ft. high, round-headed and quite plain, between a doorway at the north end, 4 ft. 6 in. wide and 12 ft. high, and one at the south end, 4 ft. wide and 9 ft. high. These five openings communicate between the eastern and western chambers. The western room, 92 ft. by 37 ft., has in its west wall five plain, round-headed recesses, once converging into loops, but now enlarged into windows. In the south wall is a similar recess, and in the north wall two. Between one of these and the west angle is a small mural passage, 2 ft. 10 in. wide, and bent at right angles. This is vaulted, quadripartite, with plain hips, very rough, but good. Under its exterior loop was the garderobe shaft.

The eastern room, 68 ft. by 30 ft., has in its east wall three recesses for loops. In its north wall is a recess, now cut into a door, and communicating with the outside by a double flight of modern stone steps. There is also an original door of 3 ft. opening, leading by a short mural passage, 5 ft. wide, to the well-stair, which supplies each stage. In the south wall a door leads into the crypt of the chapel, called Raleigh's prison, 13 ft. 6 in. broad by 39 ft. long, having an apsidal east end, and 17 ft. high to the crown of its very plain vault. In the north wall of the crypt, near the apse, a passage 2 ft. broad leads into a vaulted cell, 8 ft. by 10 ft., formed in the wall, and quite dark. In the south