New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-05-07
RANDOM LETTERS....No. H.
,.r, SPRING SEASON IN ENGLAND. DhhO'o@' A''
III" ""''N NoRTHRRN GERMANY

.f,Dd IN the same parallel or OF, Oh thcIc'uOu'o'
from Southampton to this place one hhgnV say
sndeed that the whole continent VI Eui'po aaoo
s.oted 10 greater diversity OF climatic lniiuenoe
- rv other equal portion of the earths surface
80, one wonld scarcely expect to find such lnarAcu
EUHaraoces within space of some GOO or 'OO ilo', "
Shs same line of latitude and altitude aDoNe '"0
sAglevel. varying not more than 1000 leet -, On
Tbo dav after our arrival at Southampton tep ~
corresponded to the Goth of April at Ne" I'm 20
fields were a vivid green, early Spiih
Nvervwhere in blossom bees were alrcauy nunNn LIE
-. a. fooront gorse and the elms and lme-uce9
-. ROW, with their swelling buds Among 'ii0
~ Notley Abbey where the sunshine lay wan"
k,oo, tho wv and the birds sang DoI'ny anu W.
fnvoIIv we fanced ourselves in the heart oI ouUi-
49, Iaborers in their shirtsleeves piOwed anu Jug
e.. r,-dens and children barefoot about the
shatcbed cottages. 1t was the beginning OF spring
40 deliberate i'll its movement so very gradual III us
IaaveIopment that an American can form no idea OF
hbe season By the Goth Of May the trees about New
York the flowers garden-vegetables, and grainheidS
Twill have yoveItaken these, accomplishing III SIN
eebs the growth Of nearly four months in England
- on can thus understand Coleridges line;
"And the Spring comes shorty up this way
On the Isle of Wight, where spent two days
Sonpd not only the temperature but the vegetation
hof the Mediterranean shore. About Newport the
ornamental shrubbery consists principally OF the
italian laurel the myrtle. and laurstinus, the latter
Asiog already in full bloom Side by side with these
,,row the lilac (which in Norway, blossoms under
4he Arctic Circle viburnum, and other Northern
shrubs In the parks and pleasure grounds you see
Ihe Roman lex and the cedar Of Lebanon IN com
many with Scotch frs and larohes. At Fa1rlngfOrd'
MFR T'ennyson has two specimens of the lex, which,
for luxurant beauty of form, have never seen sur
nassed in italy, Among his trees j also found
k,lendid ragnolia graRdilOra, the Italian umbrella
,,ine cypress and a variety of the araucarla' Inc
jan.palm of China (chGraerOps ercetS0l has Deen
r,lanfed in the Queens gardens at Osborne ana mas
,zrown. thus far, without requiring any protection
during the Winter.
Mr.. Tennyson's sequoia 1.-THE giant of California;
nyhch was planted by the hand of Garibaldi, is now
hbriying vigorously. His gardener was Obliged 10
srotect it by wire cage and, suspect, IS sui
httle nervous whenever a stranger approaches inc
Industrious tree. In all the sheltered hooks OF the
ozark snowdrops, cowsps, and dafodils were bleom'
sng and one rhododendren already Int up with rosy
tires tbe dark-green of the "dry-tOngued lau-
tei." shall not offend the Lares of Farringford by
any details of the life they guard but the many
friends of the poet beyond the Atlantic Will be sat
Ssfed 10 know that not one inch of his SIX feet OF
stature has vet been bent by time. He is still erect
,.iporous and full of creative life. Many golden
line will vet flow from that full-vOced fountain OF
song.
During the four days 1 spent in the south or En-
cultural processes of the season. But the cheIh
drainage of the fields was evident, as well as the
aieavy manuring for the Spring crops. Near South
ampton about three times the quantity OF lime
which our farmers apply to the soil is used. The
allowing is not generally deep as in the central
counties Of England Much of the soil is cold
clayey loan, yet the crops so far as could judge,
promised well. The same amount of care and labor
sIowever applied to American farms, would be even
better repaid.
Nothing can be more picturesque to the eye than
The little hamlets of matched cottages each with its
blooming walflowers beside the dooI and It's ciump
of Lilac or laurel in the contracted garden; yet, |
jmagine there is no healthy atmosphere under those
9ow-browed caves The windows are few and small
dhe floors frequently level with the earth, and
more than once saw fetid pools at the very doors
Such cottages are no longer built, and in time they
will disappear from England. Iregret, therefore
that the modern substitute should be so irredeem
ebly ugly. The houses are simply cubes OF biiei
with roofs of large states: far and wide one IS al
exact copy of the other. am told that they are YER
slightly built and that many will have TO be re
lewed in 20 OF 90 years. If so, the English must
changing in character and the prepOnderance of tha
conservative spirit which seeks the massive and thu
permanent everywhere, must be passing away.
There are signs of fermentation, it is not to he
denied For the first time. detected evidences OF
an aggressive insoent spirit among the lower classes
This Is not imaginary, Tor IL was unexpected anu
ahe experiences of some of my friends confirm 1t.
The English laborer seems TO be fierce and brutal
when aroused, in proportion he is ordinarily pa
tent and, ignorant he may be, he has at last
become aware Of the fact that the interests of his
class have been shamefuly neglected. ] doubt
whether the partial extension Of suffrage, proposed
by the Government, will do much toward allayng
the present excitement There material agencies
nt work las for instance the gradual concentration
of landed property in still fewer and fewer hands,
which political concessions will not affect. Oneneed
not therefore expect a recOlution the English peO-
e are the least revolutionary Of any in the world ;
but should not be surprised if there were serious
disturbances in many departments OflabOr
We left London for Brussels the first week in this
anOnth. Two or three hours suffced to transport
from the green, rolling landscapes Of Kent to the
cold levels Of Picardy, with their highways lined
with stiff pOpars diminishing to point in the dis
lance like lesson in perspective. Perhaps the
grass was rather shorter and the buds of the early
shrubbery not quite go ready to burst; but other
wise there was no perceptible change Spring was
already there as distinctly as in England
The journey from London to Brussels is now made
in ten hours and half by way of Calais. In
5ng the little of France, there is examina-
zion of baggage for through passengers. One still
finds the same old dminutIve, uncomfortable Chan
mel boats over which the spray dashes from stem TO
stern when the sea is at all rough but in all other
respects the transit has been made very convenient
snd agreeable. We had a railroad accident on the
Way-by the by, the first ever saw in Europe The
connecting rod whatever that may be- Of the loco
znotive snapped soon after we had crossed sthe
belgian frontier, and we delayed between two
nd fhroo Rr11cca OF IN fba