, 1873-12-07
4 DAY At OXFORD.

Or UHtCAuO.
among tho thousand interesting rlaccH which
inc American traveller mny vist In Europe, tloro
aro itone which have greater c1larm for tho
no]lo.ar than tho
TWO uN1vE3a1TY TowEH or ENGLAND,
oxford and Cambridge. WI,aoyor tho nrchi-
teotural boautieH or tlln historic gorlos Lo finds
In thu Continental towns tl,oro IL no ono in
wh'cl, ho llngo,a no long aud lovingly no one
from which lo ns last tenra himself AWAY will,
such pnng Of reluctance as from tcao anciout
scnts Of learning. It is now two yoars Buco we
hrst enjoyed tho inlonao pleasure OF trembling tho
quadrangea tin gardea, anil Tho halls Of tho two
anivorstics ana. though wo hayo Blnco vsitol
many other p1aceB Of world-ronownod bcauty
and hallowcl by historic nomorIos, yet thero Ia
no one the melton Ut Will conjnrcH up 30
mnny pleasant rccollcctions Ut liolra too qlchly
paBsod. hours III which eyo and ear, mind and
Boul. wore Intoxicated with to1ight,-as do Tho
namoH Of thoso famous towns. 10 which Of
theso haunts pf learning tllo palm Of bcauty IL
10 be gvo,l, 1t il NJ llard rs 1t would DO invidions
to my Neither Aas ItA parallel elsewhere in tho
world. There is something abt o.ntcly unar-
proacllal,lo In thu Bcenos that greet the eye bo.
htul the colle.oB NJ
cA,tnn1naE,
Whole tho Cam BtaB a1o: e le'wecn frequent
sllalows Of venerable elit1cos;. tloro is 10 other
quadrangle III tho world liIso tho gr> ut qual1an-
glo Of Trinity; nor cat Oxfold boust OF any
chapol oslaal to TINT Of Kings College. with its
huge buttrcsses, its Immense windows, its l'ro-
fusion of exquisite catvines, and quaint fras~
work, and, nbove MI, Its wondrouB Htono roof,
So f;o!te n1itl a"oot oil into ten til ousand cells.
Mhs:a islt aud sliate repose, wl,eru nusic dwc1a,
Li,seliuE.-an ~ " i.ierlnl 10 10th 10 t!fa:
IAat Iii @elo bvrn for iMMortullty.
Iot the Wow Of
OXFORD,
with Its multiplicity Of tnrrota, pinnaclcs, and
towers, rising in tio bosom Of d beautiful val
10y, amid waters nnd gardens, fully merits
Worlswortli's epithos Of toyorpowcring;" mud
he who cau Look upon ths "Cisy Of palacos,'
loary with ancestral honors, End lich u treas-
ures Of photography, scionco, aal art, and not
o1clni,n with tho poet:
ls't,c'l n the grandeur Of thy waving woods,
oirt with . silver z'ue IF winding Hoods,
mist bo a3 dull as tho clol ho trends upon. 1t
WIS MI excusabo burst OF enthusiasm in Robert
Hall, whon. standing on The s,,a1nlit Of tho Rad
clIfo Library, ho was 10 improsseod with tile
beauty Of tho Ecene,-tlo dark aud ancient edi-
fcoF clustering together in for1ns full Of rich
ness aud beauty,-the quatlranglos, gardens, aud
grosos,-the flowing rivors aud boiling hills,
wood-crowncd, Aid, over all, the clear bluc-
fecked aky,-thnt ho cried out ''sir. sir. 1t s
surely tho New Jsrusalem como down from neav
on /"
1t ia, Of course, impoEsib1e, within the limits
OF d neWHpaper-nrtice, to speak OF = titho Of the
interesting things ono mny SEQ in oven dny8
visit to city like Oxford or Cambridge. Wo
shall limit ourselves. therefore, to gotne account
OF tho first town, reeerying nu account of Cam
bridge for future nr1iolo. The name Oxford is
derived f.om the
"oX-FonDs ABOUT THE CITY,
the particular ford being at Binsey or North
Hlncksoy. Tho city is Of groat antiquity, and
from AL curly period waH ono of considerable ina-
portance. Nearly eyory British soyoreign las
visited it, some havo lived III it, and Parliament
las assembled in it OH twenty different occasions.
Tie Jealous anttiuarios Of tile town hayo even
caiined thnt tho frat English printing~prcss was
aet up in Oxford. CorBollis having printed
book thore in 14Gs. four yoays Ecforo Caxton sct
up press ut Westminster 1t ia much moro cor
tain tlut the first British martyrs, that suffered
Tor renou1scing the Roman Catholic fifth, wore
Oxford men. Thirty DaptistH Of this city we're
punished for herosy. in the time Of Horny H.,
by starvation without tho walls.
THE UNIVERSITY coSs1srs
OF twenty Colleges aud lyo Halls, or unendowod
aocieties. The Oldest University dates back to
B36; tho latest {Keblo) WIS founded 10 1868.
Tile entrances to the town are nI1 moro or less
picturesque, except TINT from the railway-sta-
tion, mud tlreo of tlcm cross thoHo beautiful
meandering streams which tue OxoniauB dignity
with tho names Of 1iyers,-tbo Thames {acre
called the Isis y aud tho Cherwcll." LII tho
good old days, before tho scream Of tho LOGO
motive was heard in this charming valley, tho
visitor, from whatever direction he cnmc, got
from the top Of the stagc-coacil glorious view
Of tic city. Tho ono that bursts upon you FROM
tho Abingdon road, especially, is of uucll in
effnble beauty that it must quickon tho puiBo OF
the Geriest Ounce. It III one OF those raro lights
tlat always fill paintor'u heart with
delight, aud might bo put at onco on
canvas without tho Change Of a featuro. Wc.
OF course. camo by rail. aud, entering tho town
from tho west, felt little tlrobbing OF the l,oart
till We reached "the heart Of its mystory." |
Btrolling along With no guide but our Murray,
we passed tho Castle, built in William Rufus
timo. now used as gaol, aud soon found our
selves III
HIGH STREET, |
whero the qeaias loc4 at once seized upon ue, and
we realized that wo wero standing Ia the intcl-
lcctual birthplace Of Hooker, uampden, Wyck-
LIE, and many anotlsor
a'aAt OF mighty bone and high empriHe,
OF whose Victories not ouly EugliaAmen, but |
Americans, aro proud.
This famous street, tho pride OF Oxford, at
onco charms tho strangor by Its beauty, aud !
increasing intimacy only deeponB his admira-
tion. The cltizons Of Oxford may vol bo |
patdoned for believing tl,at it llas few rivals |
in the world. 1t IL certainly q noble Btrpet, |
being s5 feet in width, aud lined with buildiags
of the most impressive osders Of architecture,
tue palallcs OF which arc to be found nowhere |
elso i'll tho " "svor-coasted isle." The groat and |
rich variety OF bnilaings,-collegos and churches
minsling with modern slsopa and old-fnBl,loued
awelaingH.-and the remarkable diversity of the |
styles In Which tlloy arc built brought, by
the gentle curvature Of tho street, into the most !
pleasant combination nit. contrast imaginable.