A DESCRIPTION OF THE PALACE AND GARDENS AT KEW,

THE SEAT OF THE PRINCESS DOWAGER OF WALES.

BY MR. CHAMBERS, ARCHITECT TO THE KING.

THE principal court of the palace is in the

middle; the ftable court on the left hand; and the kitchen courts on the right. As you enter the house from the principal court, a vestibule leads to the great hall, which occupies two ftories in height, and receives its light from windows in the upper ftory. It is furnished with full length portraits, representing king William III. queen Mary, the present king of Pruffia, the late emperor of Germany, the present hereditary prince of Brunswick, the late elector of Cologne, and the famous lord treasurer Burleigh: befides which, there is a very good hunting piece by Mr. Wootton, wherein are reprefented his royal highness Frederic prince of Wales, lord Baitimore, lord Cholmondely, lord Boston, col. Pelham, and several of his royal highness's attendants. In this room are likewife two large vafes of ftatuary-marble, on which are cut in baffo relievo the four feafons of

the year.

From

From the hall a paffage leads to the garden; and on the right hand of this paffage is the princefs's common apartment, confifting of an antichamber, a drawing-room, a cabinet, and a gallery, with waiting rooms, and other conveniences, for the attendants. The antichamber is hung with tapestry; and over the doors are two portraits, the one of the late lord Cobham, the other of the prefent earl of Chesterfield.

The drawing-room is likewife hung with tapestry. Over the doors are the portraits of his majefty king George I. and his royal highness Frederic prince of Wales. There is also another picture in the room with three heads, being the portraits of their royal highneffes the late princess of Orange, and the princeffes Amelia and Caroline.

The cabinet is finifhed with pannels of Japan: the cieling is gilt; which together with the chimney-piece was defigned by the late ingenious Mr. Kent.

The gallery, with all its furniture, is intirely executed from defigns of the fame gentleman. The colour of the wainscoting is blue, and the ornaments are gilt. Over the chimney is a portrait of the late princess of Orange, in a riding drefs; and on each fide of it is a very fine picture by the celebrated Mr. Wootton; the one representing a stag at bay, and the other a return from the chace; the fcene of both is Windsor forest,

and

and the perfons represented are the late prince of Wales, the late duke of Marlborough, Mr. Spencer, the duke of Chandois, the marquis of Powis, lord Jerfey, lord Bofton, lord Baltimore, the colonels Lumly, Schutz, and Madden; Mr. Scott, Mr. Bloodworth, and feveral attendants.

On the left of the paffage which leads to the garden are the apartments of the bed-chamber women. In their drawing-room is a very large collection of portraits of illuftrious perfons of both fexes; none of them very finely painted, yet curious, and very entertaining. The cieling is executed from a defign of Mr. Kent's; as are likewise the cieling, chimney-piece, and all other parts of their dining-room.

The cieling of the great ftair-cafe was defigned by Mr. Kent. The principal floor is distributed into one ftate apartment for her royal highness, and into lodging rooms for her children and their attendants. The ftate apartment confifts of a gallery, a drawing room, a dreffing room, an antichamber, a bed-room, and closets.

The walls of the gallery are adorned with grotesque paintings, and children in theatrical dreffes, by the late Mr. John Ellis. The chimney piece and all the furniture are from defigns of Mr. Kent; and on the piers between the windows are four large painted looking-glaffes from China.

The cieling of the drawing-room was defigned, and I believe painted, by Mr. Kent, with grotesque ornaments, in party colours and gold. The center compartment represents the story of Leda. The chimney-piece, the tables, glass-frames, and all the furniture, were defigned by the fame ingenious artist. The room is hung with green filk, and furnished with a very pretty collection of pictures, by Domenichino, Paul Veronefe, Albano, Claude Lorrain, Pietro da Cortona, Cornelius Janfen, Baffano, Bergheim, Bourgognon, &c.

The cieling, furniture, and chimney-piece of the dreffing-room, were defigned by Mr. Kent. The room is richly furnished with Japan cabinets, and a great variety of curious works in Dresden porcelain, amber, ivory, &c. and there are alfo in it two large pictures; the one by Dupan, representing the children of the royal family at play; and the other the princess of Wales, with his present majesty, the duke of York, and the princess Augufta, all in their infancy, attended by lord Boston, lady Archibald Hamilton, and Mrs. Herbert.

Her royal highness's bed-chamber is hung with tapestry: the cieling and chimney-piece were defigned by Mr. Kent.

The antichamber and closets contain nothing remarkable, excepting an hygrometer, of a very

curious

curious conftruction, invented and executed by the learned and ingenious Mr. Pullein, one of her royal highness's chaplains.

THE GARDENS OF KEW

Are not very large: nor is their fituation by any means advantageous; as it is low, and commands no profpects. Originally the ground was one continued dead flat: the foil was in general barren, and without either wood or water. With fo many disadvantages it was not easy to produce any thing even tolerable in gardening: but princely munificence, guided by a director, equally fkilled in cultivating the earth, and in the politer arts [lord Bathurst, we fuppofe] overcame all difficultics. What was once a defart is now an Eden. The judgment, with which art hath been employed to fupply the defects of nature, and to cover its deformities, hath very justly gained univerfal admiration, and reflects uncommon luftre on the refined tafte of the noble contriver: as the vaft fums which have been expended to bring this arduous undertaking to perfection, do infinite honour to the generofity and benevolence of the illuftrious poffeffor, who with fo liberal a hand diftributes the fuperfluity of her treasures in works which ferve at once to adorn

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