The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-12 00:00:00

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ii,.a44t Sat

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IRE cßtaraz PALA=
"`ritac
alace offereE on Saturday last a two-fold
to its visitors or perhaps we should rather say
threefold, bemuse long before one came up with either et
the two specialities of the day the eye was arrested by
the fresh beauty of the gardens, ripe after the rain and
radiant in the in:wahine and subsequently by the almost
oppressive luxuriance of the tropiesl trees and plants and
creepers within the building itwlf. Early in the afternoon
the great fountains shot up their diamond spray into the
air, and we doubt whether even the Vale. of Cashmere
itself would at that moment have come victorious out of a
comparison. In a snug and verdant nook in the far north
of the gardens the invading army from German London
had encamped themselves. They were not so numerous
as the host which their venerated ancestors, Hengist and
Horse, had once encamped a little further down on
the coast, but we doubt whether they were not a deal
more stalwart, for they had long cultivated their
native gymnastics based on an English dietary.
It was in fact the anniversary of the Turnverein, the Teu-
tonic equivalent for our domestic rowingand cricket club..
A. considerable number of well-formed and athletic young
men twisted about bars and poles, jumped across trenches
and over wooden horses, and played with foil and single
stick. In the interval; they drank pale ale in a mode-
rate way, smoked the universally popular German haven-
nab, or bent their arms in friendly emulation end in order
that the size of their " biceps " might be appreciated by
a wondering audience. In an open gallery adjacent their
fair friends' and relations " rained influence and adjudged
the prize," being periodically informed of the winners by
the master of the ceremonies—en athlete amongst athletes,
and whose English pronunciation was quite as vigorous as
his gymnastic achievements. It was altogether an exhilirat-
ing and suggestive sight. There was the greenwood tree,
es in the days of Robin Hood, and there were the." Merry
men," fair, and brawny, and jolly, looking as
if they were equally ready to try a bout at cudgels with
their chief, to wrie with Little John, or to sit down with
Friar Tuck to the discussion of malvoisie and warden pie.
The scene was in fact Saxon all over—Saxon as much in I
the English spectators as in the German wrestlers, each
fraternized exceedingly with the other, the one doing the
work and the other the cheering with strong enthusiasm.
They were the only two peoples in the world who would go
through the same amount of physical labour for sheer
pleasure, and with the object merely of getting rid of a
little of their superabundant vitality. There is this dif-
ference, however: the English reduce everything they do
in this way to a game and a contention. There is a strife,
• game, and a . There are no three-cornered
constituencies in the English sporting world. Some-
body must win, and somebody must lose, and the
losing man must good humouredly abide by the result.
For this reason systematic scientific gymnastics, properly
so called, have never had the same popularity in England
that they rapidly attained in the land of their original
adoption, and we have some doubt whether our national
common sense, which beneficially decides so many things
in the ultimate resort, has not had something to do with
this coldness. Twisting about bar, swinging from the
trapeze, he., are not practical developments of muscle, nor
do they always mike men more agile out of the whom'.
Their effect is to localize the sum of muscular strength
rather than to increase it, in the same way that the black-
smith's arm is made exceptionally strong without a pro-
portionate increase of strength and vigour for the rest of
his body. The best that can be said of these artificial
gymnastics is that they are the attainable substitute for
natural exercise, and boating, riding, running, or country
walks to young men confined to town, and following seden-
tary occupations. With even these, however, some cau-
tion should be observed in their practice. They should
remember that all are not equally strong by nature, al-
though put to strive and strain at the same
severe exercises. Above all things they must not
forget that, although the muscles may be made larger and
stronger by constant work the heart and other great vis-
cera will not always take kindly to tho same training.
We saw some slight and delicate young men straining ter-
ribly on Saturday in their attempta to do what was mere
play to their stronger competitors, a circumstance which
convinced 02 that although these gymnastics like chloro-
form may be very good things in their way, they require
equal skill and caution in their administration. There
have been gymnasia in London and other great towns of
the empire for now a great many years and we know as a
matter of fact that more than one professor and a great
many pupils have come to sudden grief in consequence
either of the weakness of the machinery or the too great
strain of the exercise. However, it is to be supposed that
they were all experts who figured in Saturday's games, and
it must be admitted that they all did their work well, and
in the great majority of cases looked as if it agreed with
them.

I Within the Palace, and in an exceedingly quiet corner,
was an exhibition of another and more wonderful result of
human strength and daring. It was the American life-
raft which so lately arrived in Southampton water, after •
' boisterous, but on the whole prosperous voyage across the
Atlantic, over whose long waves it had been safely piloted
by its brave and skilful Prusso-American captain. If we
should have a few more achievements of this kind, we shall
expect some day to hear of an enterprising American
laying his list down on the waters of the Hudson, booking
himself as the only passenger in it, and then, having
spread out his pocket handkerchief for a sail, making a
prosperous voyage to some favoured harbour of " the old
country." The life-raft is not now for the first time ex-
hibited in England. In the course of the present, almost
the past, summer, Mr. Parry. the inventor, exhibited his
raft on the Serpentine, but it is now an object of much
greater interest, having actually proved its capabilities as
a lifeboat by • voyage across the Atlantic. The captain
speaks highly of its performance, making seven knots an hour,
sailing, when necessary, within five points of the wind,
and proving in all weathers so buoyant that it did not
ship • single sea throughout the whole voyage. It is a
very simple contrivance, consisting merely of three pon-
toons securely lashed together, and covered with an open
wooden platform in the centre of which • little " inland
house" gave shelter to the captain and his little crew.
There are easily-worked air-pumps attached to each pon-
toon, by which they can be inflated is eight minutes, and
the whole affair, which may be stowed away in pieces in
fine weather, can be put together and launched over the
side very rapidly in case of necessity. The advantages
claimed for the life-raft are—first, its portability when not
in use ; second, the rapidity with which the pontoons may
be inflated and the raft fitted for sea ; third, the facility
of launching ; and fourth, the great number of people it
would keep afloat. The captain informed us that it was
tested in New York harbour with upwards of five
hundred people either standing on it or hang-
ing out of its sides, and that it kept them
all afloat. This would make it an invaluable article on
board an emigrant ship, where all the ordinary boats would
be insufficient to take off the passengers ; and this quality
would also make it better than even a lifeboat, provided,
as the captain states, it could be launched so much more
rapidly. It is well known that there is commonly great
and sometimes fatal delay in lowering boats in moments
of emergency, in consequence of the excitement of the
men aad the intricacy of the tackle ; but, if we recollect
rightly, there was also considerable delay at the Serpen-
tine experiment in hoisting the raft over the bridge •,
although this is certain, that once in the water it righted
itself in a moment, and in another was covered with pas-
sengers, whom it carried safely to the landing place.
Taken with all qualifications, the recent arrival at Syden-
ham is wail worthy a visit and careful inspection from
those who take an interest in the saving of human
life at sea. The captain is a frank and intelligent sailor,
and will give every information to visitors.

THE SULTAN.