Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-10-13


Thus spoke q hearty London stoker,
who sat beside me on top of a fourpenny
Hammersmith bus Along with him
were his buxom wife and four rcd
checked children. 1t was early of
Saturday afternoon, and there was not
happier family, "downtrod" or other
wise, in all London.
"My missus ere" proudly clapping
his huge hand on his wifes abundant
xnees, IAN Hi an the young uns be
goin' DER to Kew Missus loikes were
she can PUNK 'ersel' fiat Z grass, tho
Hi allus says, Pol, grass an rheumatic
grows tgether,' an the young uns
romps an gallops like mad. Iii says,
pol, them young uns'll waste thersels
to bone from 'oppin' an steaming round
Kew But Pol says back to me, Scat,
Handrew, hit makes EN- sleep like hal
dermen and heat like paupers,' an so
hour houting Been to Kew, sir2"
No, had not, but should be glad to
see the gardens, told him.
"Why, Lord bless husl come right
long wi hus. Hill do we good, sirN'
And so it did, for kept in the delight.
full company of the "downtrod" all the
way out on the pleasant journey, re-
turned to the city with them, and never
lost sight of them until the blazing even.
ing lights of the winding Strand shone
on the tired family safely ensconscd on
the deck of Whitechapel bus, which
whirled them away to their lowly home
in that worlds fouest slavepGn-the
east end of mighty London.
1t is an interesting little journey by
underground railway. by river or by
road to Royal Kew, Interesting below
ground for the glimpses of the folk who
live down there in the bowels of the
earth-station masters, porters, news
clerks and barmaids-out of whose
faces, like the Cornish miners, the light
and color have gone, and who move
about in desolate, discouraged way, as
though hopeless prisoners there. You
read pathos and heartache all along
under these foul underground ways;
breathe prayer that our cities shall
never know them; and wish you could
wbisk all these white faced toilers with
"Handrew" and the "young uns" for a
romp about the lovely gardens of Kew
A thousand historic places and lordly
structures are passed should you go by
boat upon the Thames. 1t is not only
these and the vast throng of craft you
see from your steamers side, but you
recall the royal professions of boat and
barge Of other days passing and re-
passing from London to wondrous
Hampton Court, and these bear you
wraithful company, The whole stream
is soundful with music. German bands,
Italian bands, Swiss bands, Hungarian
bands and Gypsy bands crowd these
boats and give good music too. Swift
are the steamers, and mighty wash is
left behind them, while all the tiny
boats afloat seem to dance and curyet
in your wake to the endless music of
the Thames.
From the roof of your bus you see
miles upon miles of the wealthiest part
of West London. Here is Picadilly
with its aristocratic clubland on the
right; Green Park and lordly Bucking.
ham palace are on the left; Hyde Park
Corner, Knightsbridge, Albert Memorial
Kensington Gardens, kensington, Hol.
land Park, Olympia and Hammersmith
follow, and then you come to where the
hedges, avenues and villas hint of the
rcstful country scenes of England. Bright
indeed is this road to Kew, through busy
Hammersmith and drowsy Chiswick
with its nursery grounds and glass
houses by the wayside and fine marke.
gardens crowded close by new houses
and dreamful Gunnersbury, where tho
ancient forests show in dark masses
against the horizon. There are lush
orchards, too, where the rich fruit dap
pies the fading leaves, and meadows
wavy and rich, where the late butter
cups and daisies star the tender green
The old days are remembered more
than once on this winding highway
most suggestively perhaps, where on
new red brick wall is seen the inscrip
ten, "London Stile." Who that ha!
read Dickens or Thackery or ALDER
Smith (who barely escaped being a.
great as either) does not in fancy in
SANITY live in the old coaching days anC
sec disappearing to the west in clouC
of dust the "Flying Mail" or til,
"Wonder," or with pathetic recognition
a remember the country yokels resting OF
that broad stile, the meantime MUNICH
y ing their crusts as they gazed down TIL
Thames to Westminster's towers an(
4 st. Paufs dome and dream of tn,
wondrous London streets all paved witt
shining gold9
And then the messy bridges, will
steep old-fashioned pitch and broad
crumbling parapets, where rosy checked
lasses still linger and marvel as YOU
bus goes rumbling by; gray turnstile
leading to brown deep fuotpaths tina
wird through gardens and fields, wher
some one, as in the old days, alWay
tarrics and turns to gaze at passers, gaz
ing in their turn as though the two wer
the only ones seen in whole day
journey; the gay but stolid loOkini
harges lying here and there in the back
water against the shore, and finally
quaint old Kew Green, where the year
bring no change and where everythin
is so little, odd and Anticipated that yoi
feel no surprise if Farmer George am
Queen Charlotte, with lumbcrin
caleche and six horses came dashin
through the gates of Royal Kew.
Abouts2OO years ago Lord Capel lai
out the garden which has since becom
not only one of London's most beautiful
pleasure grounds, but scientific inst
tuition, whose influence and benefit
reach to all quarters of the globe o
the death of Lord Capel in 1896, tn
estate passed into the hands of his soT
in-law, who made the place still NOR
famous as the headquarters of Englis
astronomists. Under the advice Of tn
Earl of Butte the dowager Prince:
Augusta made it scientific establish
nent, and it was called the "Physi
Garden" AS early as 1868 Sir Joh
Hill published a catalogue of the plant
Vi Kew. There We're then so ferns, 60
.rees and shrubs and several thousan
herbaceous plants. In 1889 the estat
was bought by George Ill. He devote