The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-28 00:00:00

A FEW FACTS ABOUT HYDE-PARK.

Mr. Charles Knight's " Cyclopedia of London"
affords touts facto, not told for the Sett time, it is true, but

yet int ensues and Worthy of a tomer is 'paper devoted to
the illustration of everything connochell wi h the Crystal

Uwe. Mr Haight aim

-
llyde.park, the Green and St. Jameeeparks, may be
regarded u forming part of an uninterrupted epee of open
pleasure ground.
Each of these parks has its own peculiar character. St.
James's, lyirg among palaces, mad hedged round on all sides
11••• • comparatively early period by the fashionable
Weldences of the " West End," is the courtier. Hydra-
' park, not yet quite surrounded by the town, and decidedly
Wending into a rural neighbourhood, is the " fine old
Wintry gentleman," essentially stately and noble, sad a
leennier too on occasions, yet with a dash cf rusticity.
Wanted in though this perk now is on &Weider by long
7•11, of building*, one feels there, one breezy upland with
a wide space of empty atmosphere cn sorry side, +kat
must have been the charm of this place when the eye, look-
ing from it, fell in every direction on rural scenes, for
Hyde-park until very recently was entirely in the country.
And this remark naturally conducts as to those adventures
and incidents associated with Hyde-perk which contribute
even more than its rural position to under it less r sclusively
et the court, courtly, then St. James's.
Hyde-park was • favourite place of resort for those who
Intereght in the Ist of May with the reverence once paid to'
B. Pepys breathes a sish is his " Diary "en the evening
• the 30. k April, 1861 (he was then on a pleasure jaunt),
to this 'Beat :—I am sorry I am not in London to be at
Hyde park to-morrow morning, among the great gallants
wad lairs, which will be very fine." It war very fine, for
livalya has entered in hie 'Diary,' under the date of the
{dottiest let of May referred to by Pepys :—" I went to
Hyde-park to take the sir, where his Majesty and an illan-
marablo appearance of gallants and rich ruches' being now
at lime of rani., reel festivity and joy." But even during the
away of the Pentane, the Londoners assembled here " to do
estrenvenc. to May," as we learn from " &turd proosedipm.
of Bute Affain, 27th April to 4th May, 1684."—" Monday,
let May. This day wee more observed by people going a
Maylne than for divers pars past, and Indeed much sin com-
mitted by wicked meetings with fiddlers, drunkenness,
ribaldry, and the like; greet resort came to Hyde-perk, many
hundreds of coaches and gallants in attire, but most shame-
ful powdered hair men, and pointed and spotted women.
Boma men played with a silver ball, end some took other
recreation. But his Hipbone the Lord Protector went not
thither nor any of the Lords of the Commonwealth, but
were busy about the great affairs of the Commonwealth."
We would give • trifle to know whether one John Milton,
a Secretary of the Lord Protector, was equally self denying
In 1654 the morning view from the Ring in Hyde-park
must have been not unlike this description of what had met
a poet's eye in his early mobilo—
Oleg time maim eat mom
v....heileamir dimmer helm green,
amid Ma mama pte
eie pats= Mir his date,
Med la Imes sad amber Rehr
The *oft le thememe Soria tight,
While the elennheaen near at hand
Whlathe eerie garroted lend;
And the mama simeth blithe,
And the sower dilb his scythe,
And every amber* tees his tale
Under the \imams hi the We.
Be this as it say, the sports elected by the habitual fre-
quenters of Hyde-park at all times of the year had a manly
Character about them, harmonising with its country situa-
tion. For example, although the Lord Protestor felt it
inconsistent with his dignity to sanction by his presence the
profane mummery of the Ist of May, he made himself
amends for his stlf.denial • few days afterwards, as we learn
from the Moderate Intellsgenete:—. In Hyde-park, this day,
there was a hurling of a great ball by fifty Cornish gentle-
men of one side, and fifty on the other; one party played
in red cape, arid the other in white. There was present his
Highness the Lord Protector, many of his privy council, and
divers entineat gentlemen, to whose view was presented great
agility of body, and meet neat and exquisite wrestling, at
every meeting of one with the other, which was ordered
with such dexterity, that it was to show more the strength,
vigour, and nimbleness of their bodies than to endanger
their persona The ball they played witkel was silver, sad
&dead for that party which did win the goal." Evelyn,l
in May, 1658, " went to see a coach rue in Hide park; "1
and Prpts =satirise in August, 1680, " To Hide-puke by
coach, sad sow aline foot race three times round the park."
Evelyn's coach race malls an accident which happened
is Cromwell in Hyde-park, in 1064. Ludlow's version of
Ibis story is:—The Duke of Holstein mode him (Cromwell) a
rent of a set of grey Friesland poach-hones; with whisk
Inking the air in the park, attended °sly with his secretary
Thurloe and a guard MI Jaaiseries, he would needs take
the place of the ossahmen, not clouting but the three pair of
heroes he was about to dein would prove as tunas the three
nations which were ridden by him • and therefore, not eon.
teat with their ordinary pea, he leaked them veey fariousty.
Bat they, unaccustomed to each a rosprh driver, ran away is
• rep, sad stopped rut till they had thrown him out MI
Ile hem with which fall his put xl fired in he pocket.
without aey hurt to himself ; by which he waled have
elheeeltettuoted how dangerous it wee to meddle wiStiMee
things wherein be had no experience." Cromwell seems 101
have been partial to Hyde-park and its eavisime. The
Weekly Post, enumerating the 006111i003 a ildie
combo and Ceeill had lain In wait to assuelmetatat

Hyde-park ("tie Mops of Hyde.perk-goto with Mud el
Is order to tour eseape"), thumerstes same of lib silky
all in this neleklmarbend :—" when he rode Is Hasigen
sad theme the heck way to London ;" " wises he west to
Hide park in his mach;' "whoa he went to Turnhath
greets and so by Acton home ;" and " when he reds in Hide.
park." Otte wild fancy him infitteneml by some attrestiva
sympathy freeman his affections and the 'pot of earth in
whisk he was destined to repose from hie stirring and
career. The tuumnly indignities offered to kis
dead karma not him, and they who degraded them.
selmebybnl the deed were bit a sort of es toss more
ha end wed brutal then are ordinarily to be mat with.
Criswell elope ea sound at Tyburn, in the vieinity of his
fammarite karate, as the rat of our Beek& oseerobe sleep
at Westanissitert ea Windsor.
The betiosable pert if Hyde-pot was keg coneasti
within very narrow Ilmiw ; the Bin bathe, from all time
te the Restoration till far in the nips of the
the emetheim Imam of the beau most. Subse-
quently', Hemingtes-gardene, at the opposite extremit of
the perk, wea appropriated by the rase that lithe for enjoy-
, mess; bat eves attar that eyelet • sonsiderable epees within
the perk remained allotted to the rougher berthas of lib.
Boring the time of the Commenvrimith it theme private
=Evelyn (11th April, 1663) complains feelingly of
ego :—" I mat to Wu the airs in Hyde Park, where
owe meth wee made to pay • dabs. a hone el:peace, by
Me emit Idles (batboy Heim, of it Harder la-tkie-
nide. Nes.) who bed gimbaled it of the Mee, as they are
failed." Mr. Hamilton, the MOOT ambled at eke Beath
contioned for tun good pate m let the perk is
Arms ; It est baying been easkeed with a well end restocked
with deer tth IMO.
Hyde-peek hes Ma ea early period dawn Is or ems
dem been a Mew* Weft kr reviews. • splendid the
took gle se the Borafru Pero "
moist Isse 11114, wiles Min U. we did .tend" at
e root, "eke
bane sad bet mob by BM discharge their pm, to
show a Preashe Meaerthes (Is Moo this smear wee
eansed) the pedalos of our Irmo." Walpole
I at a review of the egilitla is 17611. The
B glea ode el the embus of the volunteers
in the daye el Gorge 111. we bogged the omen of mar
many rem. The esommease lba Mope la Brine*
in 1799, -after Lord Otago lkiklelllol the mara-
thon in 1799, mum he pima twee la Moon ; as Hee the
warlike doings of the Best In the Bempthlthrolo 1814. Bat
llyth.pork, unlike St. Sams% W Mhareed the ms
taring of reel as well es rimy warm.. It woo the
=tt modervoth of tbe Ommasireektk troops
the Mil war. 800 eel ILasinell Thalr
hew her., and Croswell reviewed Ida
beep Bathes Rus4 w 1 "% as
.