The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-02
WASHINGTON. ID. G.
For the National Era.
lcoPYRIsHT SECURED ACCORDING TO LAw.l
GREENWOOD LEAVES FROM OVER THE SEA
No. IL.
For the National Era.

last my passion for hOrsefesh and some mlrth-
fl rccollections Of Bon Gaultier's ballads Of
the ring. led me 10 suggest AstleyS to the kind
friends who were inquiring what we should
have next. in the way Of amusement. The
building is very fine for the purpose, but the
audience on this night was neither large nor
select indeed. it was the lowest and noisiest
house | ever looked down upon and up at--for
the pit and gallery held nearly all IL was an
odd sight to me 10 see baskets of cakes and
oranges. and cans Of beer, carried about be-
tween the acts 10 see old men and women,
such az with us are never seen out except 1t
De at church or prayer meeting, young men IN
their working dress, and their wives and babies
in arms all eating and drinking and having
a Jolly laugh or cory gossip with their GRO
MES
The Spectacle" Peter the Great was very
beautiful, and much Of the acting fine, though
Nature was everywhere sacrificed to stage eff
feet We saw some magnificent riding, under
the direction Of that illustrious parsonage OF IL
mysteriously uncertain age, Mr. Widdicombe
On Wednesday, ! visited with my kind Lon
don friend. Mr. BennOck. and our charming
friend Miss D, the immense wine-yault'
and tobacco warehouses at the Docks. These
vaults extend over acres and are richly stored
with the genuine Juice of the grape, piled
pipe on pipe, on either side of innumerable
and seemingly interminable passages-the de-
lightsome paths Of Bacchus the pleasant
iongas Uias of old Silenus and his crew. With
out a guide, one might easily be lost IN this
subterranean labyrinth, and wander for hours
in this wilderness of wines, find himself quite
at sea, though not far from Port, and just Oft
Madeira. What horrible place Of torment
in which to conhne some ancient inebrIate
without the means Of helping himself to that
which his soul loyeth-winc, wine on every
side. land not a drop 10 drink
From the Docks we went 10 the Tower.
This found far from being the gloomy and
venerable building had expected to sec The
larger portion is Of light gray stone showing
much white mortar This and some repairs
lately made give the whole structure mod
ern and cheerful appearance, which it requires
all the dark splendors and tragic terrors OF Old
memories and historical legends to Oyershadow
and render venerable.
Escorted by a warden in the costume Of the
women Of the guard Of the time OF Henry VIII,
YOU enter the horse armOry at the southwest
corner Of the White Tower Here you see the
eihgics Of the Kings, from Edward | to James
IT, with many Of their distinguished knights
and mobiles all mounted and clad in the very
armor they sportcd, on rather supported, at
tourney and fight Francis Hastings bears up
CALAMITY under Il suit weighing upwards OF
an hundred pounds The beautiful suits OF
Elizabeth lovers, Leicester and Essex are .
quite in character with the courtly splendor Of .
those Inflated layorItcs
h.. ms thDuUl
Of the loast ancient suits, IL that Of Charles !.
1t is gorgeousIy gilt and ornamented in ara .
besauc This gallery also contains countless .
of war, all varieties Of arms and .
glorious trophies Of battle and conquest. 1t is .
a place for English hearts to beat high, and
swell with national pride. Queen Elizabeths
lrmory is the gallery Of greatest interest. 1t |
'ontainssan equestrian figure Of her virgin /
Majesty, in the costume in which she went to /
st. Pauls, 10 return thanks for the destruction /
If the Spanish Armada Here are many Gu
'ious weapons, very ancient and awful--such |
~ the MILITARY F2di, the Cdtch pOIe,' the |
CLAIRE the " Poie-are" the Lochdber AIe.2
and most horrible of all, for the Internal
nOckery Of its name, the h" Morning Star or
' Hoiy Water Spriakier" The first name
comes from its fDrm-a ball of wood set with .
spikes and fixed on the end of pole the
. holy water was the blood and brains it
scattered around when it was swung by
strong arm in the thick of the battle. ! stood .
with a sick heart by the instruments Of torture,
aid my hand upon them, studied the atrociOus
ingenuity Of their contrivancc yet could not |
believe the revolving truth. that in the reign OF !
a Queen, very woman one would say re-
yarding her weaknesses, human forms had |
wTlthed within them, human bones and news |
cracked under them, human hearts burst with |
excess OF pam, true human souls grown wild /
and shrlckcd out false confessions Oh "a ] |
longer gazcd on these dread implements with |
what unspeakablc reverence thought of them |
who had endured unto the end till with |
lips stllicned and eyes cmpurplcd with sup |
pressed anguish-tll bathed with the blood |
and sweat Of EXTREMIST torture, and old with |
lgcs OF agony compressed into one mortal hour, /
the painting life crushed ont, the senseless body
grew deathIy still, and the faithful spirit rose
serene above its mercilcss tormentors. above its
gloomy prison house, 10 its rest on the bosom
Of the Cruclficd
Opening out Of Queen Elizaheth's armory
IL the dungeon wherein Sir Walter Raleigh
was confined for more than twelve years, and
where he wrote his History Of The WorHp
You feel, while standing in that dark and most
gloomy cell IA singular mingling of admiration,
Indignation, wonder and pity, oh the I'M
imaginable humiliation, pain, and WEAKNESS, Of
such life to him, the princey courtier, the
brave adventurer, the statesman, philosopher,
and poet
Just before Raleigh's cell stands the behead-
ing block-not the one used at his execution
but the one on which Lords Balmerino Kill
and Lovat, suffered the penalty of
treason. The marks of the axe are deep upon
1t their lordshps' headsman must have been
n sturdy fellow, who struck steadily heavily
and but once. The behcading axe, which
stands near this block, is rusty and blunt by
no means IA formidable looking implement yet
1t once went cleaning down on to the neck of
the prlncely Essex, and sent his noble blood
squirting into the face of the headsman
Within the church Of st. Peter, under the
pavement, lie the ashes Of Sir Thomas More
Anna Bolcyn, Rockford Catherine Howard
Essex Northumberland Lady Jane Grey and
her husband, and Of many others whose names
are crimson llluminationS through pare after
page of English history
The Council Chamber of the White Tower
il place of great interest, a. having been the
scene of the impeachment OF Lord Hastings,
by Richard of Glocester
The building in which the young princes
were suiIocated is called the " BiOody Fower =
that in which Clarence WIS drowned the
" Bowyer TOwcr" We were shown the re-
mains Of tree planted by Nell Gwyn, over
the young princes. The Traitors Gate - is
II gloomy arch and the church and tho Brink
To,cers' the prison of Lady Jane Grey, are
Misunderstanding buildings; but aside from
these, the old palace. prison of England is out
wardy neither stern nor sad of aspect.
The Regala is a magnificent sight, almost
binding one with the blue of its costly SPLEEN
dor. The great diamonds seem to throb with
living radiance like stars; the rubes seem
melting IN an eTulgent glow, and the enc.
raids d'sSolyng in liquid light
From the Tower We went to Greenwich by
oh Ett1