Petersburgh, Berlin, Naples, Turin, Geneva, Antwerp, Edinburgh, and
other places, have perhaps finer streets than any in London, but in
respect to their number there is no comparison. In _churches_, London
will probably be admitted, after Rome, to take the first rank among
the cities of Europe; but in _palaces_, London is confessedly excelled
by almost every other capital in Europe, both in public and private
edifices of this description; of the former, Whitehall, Carlton-house,
(now almost demolished,) and the Mansion-house, comprise the whole
list of buildings any way entitled to the appellation of palaces--and
even _their_ title has often been thought disputable.

To rescue our national character from this opprobrium, or ill-timed
compliment to royalty, the remodelling of Buckingham-house, or rather
the erection of the _New Palace in St. James's Park_, was decided on;
and how far this design has been accomplished in the palace, we leave
it to the taste of our readers to determine. Various piecemeal, not
to say absurd, descriptions have, during the progress of the work,
appeared in the London and provincial papers, many of them originating
in party feeling; but the structure has now so far advanced to
completion as to enable every spectator to estimate its merits and
demerits; and we are sorry to add, that much of the censure bestowed
on the palace during its progress (though with bad motives) now proves
essentially correct. The name of the designer at present remains a
secret. His majesty is known to possess exquisite taste, and it is
scarcely believed that his approbation can have justified some of the
incongruities, not to say enormities of the building; be this as it
may, the general public feeling is that of disappointment and regret.

The annexed view is of the central entrance front, facing east,
towards the Canal and the Horse Guards, taken from the Wall in St.