The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-06-06

ways too tantaizing to be long endured pas
time-even where the scene Is as full Of novelty
and variety as this. Let go on, therefore. This
beautiful stream Of water, which would be called
pretty 'creck" at home, is the Serpentine river,
which has been made to nder gracefully through
Hyde Park, and wonderfully does its bright water
enhance the beauty Of the vcrdure and the charm
of the whole landscape. As we stand on the bridge
and look up and down the river, amid the rich
groves and across the green lawns, the CITY whoiiy
shut out by groves and plantations, how ninety one
feels the contrast of art and nature 10 be rcaizeu
here.
That delicious band of music which you hear
now is in Kensngton Gardens, and only belt OF
trees and yonder iron gate separate the latter
from Hyde Park Let us Join the crowd OF per-
sons of all ages collected in the great walk under
the shade of gigantic elm trees, TO hear the music
IL is a well known air OF Donizettis, and as your
eve chances over the company, perhaps some hve or
six thousand persons who form the charmlngly-
grouped. out door audience, Qor the afternoon
is bright one,) and as you see the radiant plea,
sure sparkle in thousand happy faces, young and
old, who are here enjoying a little pleasant ming
ling of heaven and EARTH in an innocent manner,
you cannot but be struck with the fact, that II
there is duty belonging to good governments,
next to protecting the lives and property OF the
people, il is that of providing public parks for the
pent-up Inhabitants OF cities.
'Imperial Kensington" 10 not only more spa
cious and grand than Hyde Park, but it has GER,
tain antique stateliness which touches my fancy and
pleases me more. The trees arc larger and more
grove like and the broad glades OF soft green turf
are of darker and richer green. and invite you ~
a more private and intimate confidence than any
portions Of Hyde Park. The grand avenue OF
Gins, at the farther part Of kensington Gardens,
coming suddenly into il from the farther Bayswater
gate, is of the noblcst geometric groves IN any
city, and was laid out and planted, believe, In
King w lliam's time. An avenue some hundreds
of years old is always majestic and venerable and
when it adds great extent and fine keeping, like
this, is really grand thing. And yet, perhaps.
not one American in fifty that visits Hyde Park
ever gets far enough into the depths OF its enjoy
Inent to explore this avenue in kensington Car
dens.
No carriages or horses are permitted in Kensing-
ton Gardens, but is broad gladc5 and shadowy
lawns sacred to pedestrians, and are especially
the gambol fields Of thousands of lovely children,
who, attended by their nurses, make kind OF In
FAINT Arcadia of these solemn old groves OF
the monarch of Dutch tastes. Even the dingy
old brick palace of Kensington, which over
looks side of the great lawn, cannot chase away
the bright dimples from the rosy faces OF the
charming children here, and the symbols
OF natural arstocracy, beauty and intelligence, set
upon these young faces, were to my eyes lar
more agreeable study than those of accident birth,
and fortune, which arc so gaudlly blazoned forth
in Hyde Park.
My London friend, who evidently enjoys our as
constituent the vastncss of the London parks,
and the apparent display and real enjoyment they
minister 10, calculates that not less than gu 0OO per-
sons have been out, On foot, on horseback, or in
carriages this afternoon, and adds that upon re-
view days, or other occasions OF particular bril-
lancy, he has known 100000 persons to be III Hyde
Park and Kensington Gardens at once.
You may be weary of parks to-day, but shall
not allow you to escape me without glance at
Regents Park, another link In the rural scenery
of this part of London. Yes, here three hundred
and thirty. sir acres more OF lawn, ornamental plan
tations drives, and carriage roads. Regents Park
has younger look than any of the others in the
West End of London, having only been planted
about twenty i've or thirty years-but it is a beau
tful surface containing greatvariety OF different
,,,ft ,taalf Hare E.r rnatn he
Royal Botanic Garden, with it's rich collection of
plants, and it's beautiful flower shows, which have
already described to you; and the Geological Gar
den, some twenty acres in extent, where you
may almost every living animal Us nearly
possible in the same circumstances rs in its
native country. Over the lawns walk the gi-
rade and camelopard, led by Arabs in oriental
costume; among the leafy avenues you see elc-
phants waddIing along With loads Of laughing,
halffrightcned children on their backs; down In
deep pool of water you peer upon the sluggish
hippopatamus; you gaze at the soft eyes OF the ga
zele as she feeds in her little private paddock, and
you feed the black swans that are floating along,
with innumerabe other rare aquatic birds, upon
the surface of CLASSY lakes Of fresh water. And
the geological" is just as full of people as Hyde
Park, though of totally different appearance
many students in natural history, some fash
ionable loungers, chiefly women, moro curious
Strangers and most of all, boys and girls, feeding
their Juvenile appetite for the marvellous, by see
ing the less astonished animals fed.
And whose are those pretty country residences
that you see in the very midst OF another part OF
Regents Park-beautiful Italian villas and orna-
mental cottages uncovered in trees of their own,
and only divided from the open park by light
railing and belts of shrubbery? These are the viii
las of certain favored mobiles, who have, at large
cost, realized as you zee, the perfection OF resi-
dence in town, VIZ: country house In the midst
of a great park, which is itself in the midst of a
great city. In these favored sites the owners have
The luxury OF quiet and rural surroundings, usually
confined TO the country, with the whole Of the great
world of May Fair and politics within ten or twenty
minutes walk.
And now, having been through more than
a thousand acres of park scenery, and wit
messed the enjoymeDts OF tens of thousands OF
persons of all classcs, TO whom these parks
are open from sunrise to nine O'Clock at night
you will naturally ask Inc if these luxures
wholly confined to the West End of Lon
don. By no means. In almost all parts Of
London are 'squares"-open places of eight or ten
acres, filled with trees, shrubs, grass, and foun-
tains- like what We call "parks" in cities at
home. Besides these, large new space called the
Victoria Park, OF two hundred and ninety acres,
has been laid out lately in the east part OF London
expressly for the recreation and amusement of the
poorer classes who are confined to that part OF the
town
You what noble breathing places London has
within its own boundaries for the daily health and
recreation of its citizens. But these Ivy no means
comprise all the rural pleasures of its inhabitants
There are three other magnificent public places
within half an hour of London, which also
joyed daily by Thousands and tens of thousands. l
mean Hampton Court, Richmond Park, and the
National Gardens at Kew.
Hampton Court is the favorite resort Of the mid
die classes holidays, and pleasanter sight than
that spot on such occasions-when it Is thronged
by immense numbers of citizens, their wives and
children, with all the riches OF that grand old pa
lace, its picture galleries halls, and splendid apart
ments, its two parks, and its immense pleasure
grounds thrown open TO them, is not easily found
Indeed, man may be dull enough to care for nei
Their palace nor parks, for neither nature nor art;
but he can scarcely be human, or have spark of
sympathy in the fortunes Of his race, if he wan
der without interest through these magnificent
halls, still in perfect ORDER built with the most
kingly prodigality by the most ambitious and pow
erful OF subjectsW oolsey; halls that were after
wards successfully the home of Henry the VIII,
Elizabeth, James, Charles, and Cromwell; halls
where Shakespeare played and Sidney wrote, but
which, with all their treasures of art now the
peoples palace and normal school of enjoyment.
! am neither going to weary you with catalogues
ofpctures or dissertations palace architecture
But must give you one more mprcsson-tbat of