BATH, the Aquas Solis of the Romans, is a city of England, in SJmersetshire. It is beautifully si tuated on the river Avon, on the side of a narrow valley, bounded by hills on the north, south, and south-west, and widening OD the north•wcst into rich and extensive meadows.
After the Romans had reduced to subjection the Belgic colonies and the western parts of Britain, they were allured to the spot where Bath now stands by the excellence of its situation, and by the warm springs which spontaneonAy flowed from the earth. Finding that they could indulge without trouble or expense in all the luxuries of the warm bath which they had enjoyed in their native country, they dig nified the hot springs with the appellation of the g< Waters of the Sun." The first detachment of the second legion was stationed at Bath ; and after the successive arrival of other divisions of the Roman army, the town increased in size till it became the principal city in that part of Britain which was sub ject to the Romans. The form of the city was nearly pentagonal, having its greatest breadth about 380 yards, and comprehending an area of nearly 4000 yards. The wall which inclosed it, consisted of layers of stone, brick, and terras, about ten feet thick, and twenty feet high ; and were flanked with a tower at each angle. Two grand streets, intersecting each other, and dividing the city into four parts, termi nated in four gates, facing the cardinal points of the horizon. Temples and magnificent baths, the re mains of which were discovered in the year 1755, combined to give elegance and splendour to this Ro man station. Bath underwent many changes during the numerous wars and revolutions which mark the history of England, but most of them are of too in significant a nature to be detailed in a work like this.
Bath has been long regarded as one of the finest towns of England, on account of the beauty of its streets and the magnificence of its public buildings. The Royal Crescent, which is of an elliptical form, and contains thirty houses, forms one of the finest assemblage of buildings in the kingdom. A single
order of Ionic pillars supports the superior cornice, and the houses command a delightful prospect of the greater part of the city. Queen-square, Marlborough Buildings, Lansdown Crescent, Catherine Place, and River Street, are also remarkable for their elegance and excellent situation. 'The old assembly rooms, built in 1750, are about 90 feet long, 36 broad, and 34 high, and enjoy a beautiful prospect of the Avon, and the surrounding hills. They are surpassed, how ever, in size and elegance by the new assembly rooms', which were opened in 1771. The ball room is 106 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 42 feet high. One of the card rooms is an octagon, 48 feet in diameter ; and the other is rectangular, being 70 feet long, and 27 feet wide. The theatre was designed and erected in 1768, by Mr Palmer, who obtained his majesty's letters patent for dramatic entertainments. The guildhall, of which the foundation stone was laid in 1760, is a very handsome building; and the common council room is adorned with several portraits of pub lic characters. The circus is a grand circular pile of uniform buildings, with, three openings at equal dis tances, leading into different streets. The fronts of the houses are decorated with three rows of columns, in pairs, of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, having the frize adorned with sculpture; and in the centre is a reservoir of water, collected from the surrounding springs. The General Hospital is an elegant building, 100 feet long and 90 deep, and ca pable of accommodating 100 patients. It is sup ported by voluntary contribution, and receives from every part of the world any invalids that desire benefit from the Bath waters. St John's Hospital, founded in 1180; St Catharine's Hospital ; Bellot's Hospital ; the City Dispensary and Asylum; the Casualty Hospital ; the Puerperal, or child-bed cha and the Stranger's Friend Society, are the other benevolent institutions, which the wealthy inhabi tants of Bath have provided for the relief and comfort of the poor.