DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6887#0052
WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 29
the House of Commons. It was designed and executed by Taylor, and rises
thirty-six feet in height. In the back, a pyramid, of Sicilian jasper, beautifully
variegated and finely polished, rises from a base of the same material, which
supports a double-arched rock of white marble, from whose interstices laurel
and marine plants branch forth, while cannon, anchors, and flags fill up the
sides. In the rock are two cavities, one of which contains the epitaph, and in
the other is the view of the sea-fight off Toulon, representing a fleet engaged. It
is admirably executed, both in the position of the ships and the accuracy of the
rigging. On the fore-ground, the Marlborough, Captain Cornwall's ship, is seen
engaged with the French admiral, the Real of 114 guns, and her two seconds
raking the English ship fore and aft. On the rock stand two figures : the
one represents Britannia in the character of Minerva, accompanied by a lion ;
the other is Fame, who appears at once to support and display a medallion
of the heroic commander, which is accompanied with a globe and various sym-
bols of honour. Behind the figures is a lofty, spreading palm-tree, with the
hero's shield of arms fixed on it, and a branching laurel; both of which spring
from a barren rock, and are thereby supposed to denote some extraordinary and
remarkable event. The epitaph is almost illegible, from the corroded state of the
marble on which it is inscribed.
Amongst the monuments of ancient merit
In this sacred cathedral, let the name of
James Cornwall
Be preserved; the third son of Henry Cornwall,
Of Bredwardin Castle, in the county of Hereford, Esquire;
Who, from the very old and illustrious stock of
The Plantagenets
Deriving a truly ancient spirit, became
A naval commander of the first eminence;
the House of Commons. It was designed and executed by Taylor, and rises
thirty-six feet in height. In the back, a pyramid, of Sicilian jasper, beautifully
variegated and finely polished, rises from a base of the same material, which
supports a double-arched rock of white marble, from whose interstices laurel
and marine plants branch forth, while cannon, anchors, and flags fill up the
sides. In the rock are two cavities, one of which contains the epitaph, and in
the other is the view of the sea-fight off Toulon, representing a fleet engaged. It
is admirably executed, both in the position of the ships and the accuracy of the
rigging. On the fore-ground, the Marlborough, Captain Cornwall's ship, is seen
engaged with the French admiral, the Real of 114 guns, and her two seconds
raking the English ship fore and aft. On the rock stand two figures : the
one represents Britannia in the character of Minerva, accompanied by a lion ;
the other is Fame, who appears at once to support and display a medallion
of the heroic commander, which is accompanied with a globe and various sym-
bols of honour. Behind the figures is a lofty, spreading palm-tree, with the
hero's shield of arms fixed on it, and a branching laurel; both of which spring
from a barren rock, and are thereby supposed to denote some extraordinary and
remarkable event. The epitaph is almost illegible, from the corroded state of the
marble on which it is inscribed.
Amongst the monuments of ancient merit
In this sacred cathedral, let the name of
James Cornwall
Be preserved; the third son of Henry Cornwall,
Of Bredwardin Castle, in the county of Hereford, Esquire;
Who, from the very old and illustrious stock of
The Plantagenets
Deriving a truly ancient spirit, became
A naval commander of the first eminence;