The daily gazette., 1880-08-07
FIRST EDITION.
Our London Letter.
Special correspondence of the Gazette.
RowsLEY, July 10th, 1880.


We have left London, after spending
about five weeks in the busy investiga-
tiOns of its many curious aud attractive
objects. But we cannot tell of the half
we have seen and heard. We would
like to speak of our visits to the Smith
field meat markets and the Billingsgate
fish market. as well as the great fruit
and vegetable markets all of which we
visited early in the morning when the
best supplies arrived, and before their
distribution amnngst the thousands of
small dealers and hucksters.
We also taw many more fine pictures,
amongst which were the Dore collection
that have taken the Art world by sur
prise. This great artist has accomplish
ed more since 1871 than most artists ac-
complsh in long life. His larger pic
lures are rated at one hundred tho usand
dollars each; some are valued at three
hundred thousand dollars, aud many
others at like rates. But the trouble is
TO find purchasers. There are few pri-
yate houses, even in England, where a
20x3O feet canvass could be hung advan-
tageously Dore's last, "Ecce Homo"
is not nearly so large as his "Brazen
Serpent" "Christ entering Jerusalem,"
and some others, but 1t is considered one
OF his best.
We visited Greenwich where tie great
clocks and astronomical machinery are,
and Woolwich where the military stores
are male and stored, and where the Ar
senal covers most of three hundred aud
fifty acres.
But July suns made us sigh for green
fields. and we determined to move on to
Oxford. The way to Oxford follows
the Thames nearly all the distance, and
we expected to see very fine crops of
grass and wheat throughout the valley.
They are just cutting their grass, a light
crop, aud the wheat does not promise
abundantly. rate the yield as below
twenty bushels to the acre, though it is
early yet to judge Of "a crop just shooting
in head.
Oxford, as you know, is the Univer-
sity OF England. Here was founded the
iist University about eight huadred
tars ago. 1t is ST Il standing, and still
ranks high as place Of learning, con-
tanning the Bishops Cathedral and his
seat or TIN one the pulpit from which
Wilberforce preached. There are
twenty one colleges in Oxford, eight
hundred Professors and about twenty
three hundred students. We spent two
days amongst the grand old buildings
and might profilably have spent mouth.
Hawthorne thought liie-t me would be
short enough to spend here with interest
and profit. But we would tire of the old
mldewed and moss grown buildings, and
prefer sights more fresh and scenes more
stirring.
Stratford-on-Avon was reached in
time for hasty view of fShakespeare's
home. The old house is of heavy
frame work filled in with brick, and is
in good state of preservation SO far
as the outside.
Early next morning we set off to
walk two miles through the fields to
Shottery, likely the very path trod by
Shakespeare, VIXEN he visited his
sweetheart, Ann Hathaway. We
found The Hathaway cottage in the
midst of a garden offlowers from which
we carried away great handful. Re-
turning to Stratford we spent couple
oi hours in Shakespeare house, saw
the room in which the poet was born,
the desk at which he studied whilst at
school, and much of his manuscripts,
his clothing and many pieces of furni-
ture. There are several pictures and
busts of him here also. differing some
what but all bearing general resem-
blance.
We staid at the cred Horse" made
memorable as the residence of Wash
ington Irving, who seems to be regard
led here rs only second to Shakespeare
himself.
This is said to be the most beautiful
part of England and its most fertile
soil is in this neighborhood. From
Stratford to Warwick is called by
! Hawthorne the most beautiful walk in
/ England.
The distance is ten miles, but we
1 | concluded to vary it by detour
J through the Lucy estate, called
= "Charlcote," ON which resided Sir
!, Thomas Lucy, the magistrate before
= | whom Shakespeare was tried for steal
! ing deer, and whom he immortalized
y as "Justice Shallow" There is fine
path through the park which is well
= stocked with deer.
: The house is fine old mansion and
has prosperous appearance.
But the road You should see it as
a model country road.
The hard turnpike is about forty
feet wide, edged with grass neatly
shaven, whilst on either side isa paved
walk eight feet wide, all so smooth
that one could almost skate on them
The road is shaded all the way by two
rows of tall elm trees and the whole
distance is bright with flowers every
& cottage and every mansion being set
in its beautiful flower garden.
1t We were the whole day walking the
l. twelve miles, so charmed were we al
almost every step, and reached War
!. wick at six o'clock too late for ad
mittance into the Castle. We were
not too late, however to see the massive
% stone arches built in the roadway al
II either end of the town hundreds OF
years ago by the Earl of Leicester as q
refuged when hard pushed by the hos
4 tile clans. The walls of the arches are
IN built of stone, some of which meas
ID ured fourteen feet in length and eigh
'9 feet thick. The battlements wer,
~ ~ pierced for the discharge of arrows anC
spears.
At Warwick is one of the stronges