The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-25 00:00:00

The Temple Gardens in 1864.

About two or three years ago Mr Charles Dickens and a
number of other kindhearted gentlemen endeavoured to
complete a plan, having for its object the providing play
grounds, &e., for the pent up children of the metropolis,
but notwithstanding the utmost exertion the praiseworthy
scheme failed, and since then the idea has been suffered to
slumber. Happily, however, the Benchers of the Tempt
have given a thought to the condition of the children la
the close and confined courts in and about Fleet-
street; and feeling the necessity of some open
space Ling set apart for their enjoyment during
the summer evenings of the present year, they hay°
generously given directions that the beautiful gardens of the
Temple should be thrown open to all comers, between the
ages of five and twelve, for two hours every evening,
namely, from six until eight. The most ardent stickler for
peace and quietness, we think, could hardly With-
stand feeling a thrill of pleasure whilst witnessing
the scene the gardens have presented during the
evenings of the past week. True, it was not of the
description it bore when dear old " Noll Goldy" and 1119
friend Dr Samuel Johnson, surrounded by their companions,
used to sit under the shade of the old sycamore tree, the
remains of which are still in existence, and which grew on
what was then the margin of the river; nor would it bear
comparison with what it must have presented when the
immortal Shakspere selected it as the scene of a portion of
one of his imperishable plays, but, nevertheless, it was one
calculated to excite the most pleasureable feelings. At
six o'clock the gates were open, and within 35 minutes
upwards of two thousand children of the ages we have
mentioned were to be seen rolling and rollicking on the
grass, perfectly wild with delight. Within an hour the
numbers increased to over three thousand, and the joyous
shouts of glee and pleasure that arose from their tiny throats
whilst engaged at " Kiss in the Ring," " Hunt the Slip-
per," and the never-dying " Sally, Sally Water," must
have amply repaid every gentleman, had he been present,
that had given an assenting voice to the benevolent and
generous prop :sal. There appeared, however, in the midst
of the hilarious excitement, to be something yet wanting
to complete the joy of the occasion, but the rush to the gar.,
dener's water tub as he was proceeding with it across the
lawn at once showed what that want was. The little
urchins had become parched and thirsty with their enjoy-
ment, they laid such irresistible siege to the above mentioned
vessel that the gardener good humouredly surrendered the
barrel to them, and, having given a cheer to com-
memorate the victory, many of thew almost plunged
head foremost into the water tub to satisfy their burning
thirst. What shouts, what calls for Tom, Harry, SOY,
and Jane to share in the pleasures of the conquest The
only thing, therefore, that appeared to us to be wanting to
complete the pleasure the generous banchors have con •
ferred on the grateful little children is a drinking fountain,
and we feel satisfied, when this want is known, the trifling
outlay for such a purpose will not be grudged by those who
have been benevolent enough to invite the poor things to
pass their summer evenings in the Temple-gardens. .At
eight o'clock the bell was rung for closing, and, with the
utmost order, the children quitted the scene of pleasure, so
that within ten minutes the place resumed its wonted quiet
and serene aspect, not one of the children having injured a
single flower, although hundreds of them were growing
carelessly on the edges of the gravel waiks.

Wholesale and Disgraceful Poisoning of
Foxes in Lord Middleton's Hunt,

We are sorry to state that since we, a fortnight ago, felt
ourselves called upon to make some remarks on the disgrace-
ful destruction of foxes in some of the Boynton coverts, in
the East Riding, a wholesale and most shameful destruc-
tion of them by wilful poisoning has taken place in the
neighbourhood of Stockton-onsthe-Forest ; the destruction I
in fact, has been to such an extent, and so complete, that
we fear there can be no chance of sport during the neat
season through a very extensive district of several of the
most favourite coverts in this hunt; and truly sorry are we
to have to record that there are any individuals (though
they are but few) within the limits of his lordship's hunt
who can be guilty of such base and mean transactions, in a
country which is hunted in the splendid style in which Lord
Middleton's is. 'We are glad to hear that the perpetrators
and instigators of these mean acts are perfectly well known
in the district in which this has taken place ; but as we
hear that it is intended that a public meeting should
shortly be held of gentlemen interested in Lord Muld leton's
and the York and Ainsty Hunts, for the purpose of making
strict inquiries, and taking such further steps as may be
deemed desirable, we shall forbear making further CO!e"
merit till such investigation has taken place, when we shall
not hesitate, if needs be, to hold up to the contempt theY
deserve, the mean perpetrators of such base and cruel acts.
At present m e briefly note a few of the facts which have
occurred :—Since the hunting season five old foxes have
been picked up by ono man in Strensall-common and in
the adjoining plantation by Stockton Mill—all of which
were poisoned. A fine litter of cubs has been destroyed
is Buttercrambe Moor. The vixen was found dead on the
Sand-Hutton side of Buttercrambe Moor, and on chemical
examination was found to be poisoned, the cubs having
lost the support of the vixen were found cruelly starved
to death in the earth. Another fine litter has been destroys('
in Bossall Wood, in a precisely similar manner, with the
exception, that in this instance, the vixen had not been found,
though no reasonable doubt can exist that she has shared a
similar fate to the former one. A third litter of cubs was
found near the Lobster House in a ditch, in which half of
them were drowned, being lost, without doubt, in conse-
quence of the untimely destruction of the vixen. A remark •
ably fine fox was lately found in a field between Upper
Helmsley and Sand Hutton, which had been destroyed by
No. b shot. A valuable sheep dog belonging to Mr John
Lawson, a farmer at Hazel Bush, which had been following
his master on his farm, near to Sand Hutton plantation,
picked up some poisoned meat there, and died in agonies
within an hour. Another fine sheep dog, belonging to Mr
Wood, a farmer, on Sand Hutton Common, while with his
master going his rounds, picked up some poisoned meat,
and died in the field before he could be got home. As-
tounding
and appears,
we have now before us, while we
write, addresses of eight respectable farmers
in this eas
namesdistrictit
whose dogs, chiefly valuable sheep dogs,
th
have been cruelty destroyed within the last few weeks by
poison laid for foxes. The facts are so notorious, and the
perpetrators are so well known in the district in which this
has taken place, that it is hardly necessary for us to remark
that no blame whatever attaches to the men employed by
the Duke of Sutherland, in whose plantation several of the
poisoned foxes were found, as they have always done every-
thing in their power for the preservation of foxes ; nor of
course to the liberal and popular owner of those far-famed
coverts, Buttercrambe Moor and Bossall Wood, than whom
no gentleman in Yorkshire is more truly anxious that his
coverts should always hold good foxes, but whose endea-
vours are thus frustrated through the mean acts of some Of
his neighbours. 'We aro equally certain that the acts of
vulpicidism to which we have previously given publicity as
having occurred in the Boynton coverts, are viewed by the
worthy owner of the estate with the greatest disgust, and
the authors of the mischief would assuredly reap condem-
nation if detected. We are sorry that in the East Riding,'
the reward offered by Morgan has not led to their exposure,
but we trust this will yet be effected. 'We may now more
particularly recapitulate the extent of the mischief there
done. Four poisoned foxes were found in the Fishpond
Wood, and five in the Sands Wood, on the Boynton estate,
and since then two others have also been found. These
were seen by Morgan, who found them poisoned. Alta
Hudson, the gentleman who rents the shooting, will aid,
wo are certain, in trying to unveil the unprincipled fellows
who are thus depriving the gentlemen cf a legitimate source
of sport, Next season Lord. Middleton intended to hunt
six days a week. The serious consequences of this whole-
sale destruction of foxes must therefore be apparent to every
one. We call upon the farmers, as a body of upright
amteonra,
to use every means to unmask and expose the P
of this villaP Y.— Jl4'iWn .31,18 CUM erpetr