Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-21

WIniam Hhalanpsnrs's HsussIThsA nuunI
Pnarimags - ths PooJs Hirth-pIhos. >
A letter In the London AtksaGnm thus
describes the celebration Of the anniversary
Of s~hakspeare's birthday
Pilgrims 10 the shrine Of the poet come
from the uttermost parts Of the earth TO do
him honor and crafty their own sentiment.
They can not do better thar arrive on the
occasion Of this anniversary, and 10 their
knowledge Of the S~hakspesreian localities,
add that Of the appreciation in which the
memory of the poet IL hold In his native
town-a kind Of fame he would when living
have looked forward TO with greater zest
than to the worldwide reputation achieved
by his works vi ~
my reason for coming to strat6ord 10 day
was not, however, to join in the festivities Of
the diminutive annual jubilee, but chiefly TO
be present at the sale, advertised for this
day, Of New Place, the spot where Shak-
speRre passed the later years Of his Life,
and where he died. To tell Of New Place,
bow it was called in the poets time the
Great House, how it came a second time into
the hands Of the Clopton family, and how
it was ultimately pulled down by Gastrell,
so that nothing but the site remains, would
be to repeat SO often told a tale that / refrain
from entering into its history. 80.
may, however, mention that in some
meditated papers just lent TO me, 1 observe
that a garden attached TO il is described, in.
the year l728, as ."all that piece or parcel of
ground lying and being within the Borough
Of Stratford upon-Avon, called the Great
Garden, and which did formerly belong TO
New Place, the house wherein Hugh Clopton
did inhabit and dwell, and was near adioin-
ing TO the said house and back part thereof,
which said garden contained by estimation
three quarters of an acre, more or less to-
gether also with all the barns, stables, out
houses, brick walls, edifces, buildings, ways,
waters, &c, to the same premises belonging
This description would appear TO indicate
that the garden, in the poets time, was orig
inally of great extent, including, perhaps,
much now lying between the grounds of the
present New Place and the river. However
this may be, it is certain that all the garden
now attached to the modern house formed a
potrion Of Shakespeare's property, though IL
is likely that what w see is only part
of the latter. The extent of the ground at
tached TO the present estate is nineteen hun.
drcd and fifty square yards.
The New Place, put up for sale this day,
belongs to the family OF the late DR.. Rice,
and is described in the particulars of sale,
with all proper business perspicuity, unac-
companied by much poetical feeling, as call
that valuable family residence called New
Place, where Shakespeare lived and died, sit
uate in Chapel-street, in the borough of
Stratford-on-Avon for many years past in
the occupation of the late Mr.. Rice; consist
ing of dining and drawing rooms, entrance
hall, kitchens" and other conveniences, emu
merated in the Mrs. Quickly style. There
was little poetry in this, but it is passing
strange that, on such a day. the day of pill
grin age 10 Shakspeareian Stratford, the as
sociations connected with this the last rest
ing place of the living dramatist should have
failed in producing any excitement or appa-
rently much interest. The highest bidding
was one thousand one hundred pounds, af-
ter which the %auctioneer announced the re-
serve as one thousand eight hundred pounds
"a sum at which New Place can now be
wisely purchased by any of the admirers of
the poet, for l believe that / am correct in
stating that 1t is worth not far short of one
thousand five hundred pounds as an invest.
ment.
If the pe1petually secured privilege of a
walk in Shakspeare's own garden, amidst
his own violets and eglantine-for they are
virtually the same, undying as renewed-be
not worth three hundred pounds, never talk
of Shakspeariean sentiment any more.
What if eighteen enthusiasts buy it between
them2 1t is only a hundred pounds a piece,
and who would desire to keep all the violets
to ones self2 l should be for pulling the
modern house down, planting the garden in
an appropriate style, and allowing every one
with a soul for such associations to wander
where Shakespeare himself wandered, aud to
lcok upon the flowers and the trees and the
ancient chapel on which he so often pazed.