The record-union., 1892-10-08
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
A Visit to the Charming Gardens
of Kew.
What May Be Seen from the Top of a
Hammersmith Fourpenny 'Rus--
The Finest and Most Richly Stocked
Gardens In the world--The Down
trod'' Of London on an Outing.
Especial Correspondence Of the RECORD
UNION. Copyright, 1922

Illus is downtrod, the Lord knows,
but hus 'as our regular houtings, cheap
enough to get to, and wariouser than can
be named in a jiffy."
Thus spoke a hearty London stoker
who sat beside me on top of fourpenny
Hammersmith 'bus. Along with him
were his buxom wife and four red
checked children. 1t was early OF Sat
urday afternoon, and there was not
happier family, ''downtrod" or other
wise, in all London.
my missus 'ere," proudly clapping his
huge hand on his wife's abundant knees,
'an' Hi an the young uns be goin' DER to
Kew. Missus loikes Were she can plunk
'erseP fiat to grass, tho Hi alus says,
Pol, grass an rheumatic grows tgether,'
an the young uns romps an gallops like
mad. Hi says, Pol, them young uns'll
waste theirsel's to bone from 'oppin' an
steamin' round Kew But Pol says back
to me, Scat, Handrew, hit makes 'em
sleep like halder1nen and heat like pau
pers,' an so Kew hit is if it takes my
last bob for hour houting. Been to Kew,
sir?"
No, had not, but I should be glad to
see the gardens, l told him.
IVY, Lord bless hus! come right. 'long
WI hus. Hit'll do ye good, STRIP
And so it did, for | kept in the delight
full company of the "Gowntrod" all the
way out on the pleasant journey, returned
to the city with them, and never lost sight
of them until the blazing evening lights
of the winding Strand shone on the tired
family safely ensconced on the deck OF a
Whitechapel bus, which whirled them
away to their lowly home in thet worlds
toulest slave pen-the east end Of mighty
London.
1t is an interesting little journey by un
derground railway, by river or by road 10
Royal Kew. Interesting below ground
for the glimpse of the folk who live down
there in the bowels of the earth-station
masters, porters, news clerks and bar
maidS-out OF whose faces, like the Cor
nish miners, the light and color have
gone, and who move about in desoiate,
discouraged way, as though hopeless pris-
oners there. ou read pathos and heart
ache all along under these foul under
ground ways, breathe u prayer that our
cities shall never know them, and wish
you could whisk all these white-taced
toilers with 'tHandrew' and the young
uns'' for 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 re-
call the royal professions OF boat and
barge Of other days passing and repassing
from London to Wondrous Hampton
Court, and these bear you wraithful COM
pany. The whole stream is soundiul 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
I'll ~, 70 csnfl 70 II Il
curvet 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
Yves. ,ondon. Here is Picadilly with its
aristocraeic clubland on the right; Green
Park and lordly Buckingham Palace are
on the left; Hyde Park Corner, Knights
bridge, Albert Memorial, ,kensington Gar
dens, Kensington, Holland Park, Olym-
pia and Hammersnlith follow, and then
you come TO where the hedges, avenues
and villas hint of the restful country
scenes of England. Bright indeed is this
road to Kew, through busy Hammer
smith and drowsy ChiswiclS, with its nur-
sery grounds and glass houses by the
wayside, and fine market gardens crowd
ed close by new houses, and dreamful
Gunnersbury, where the ancient forests
show in dark masses against the horizon.
There are lush orchards, too, where the
and meadows wavy and rich, where the
late buttercups and daisies star the tender
green.
The old days are remembered more
than once on this winding highway
most suggesuively, perhaps, where on q
new red brick wall is seen the inScrip-
tion, London Stile'' Who that has
read Dickens, or Thackeray, or Albert
Smith (who barely escaped being as grea
as either does not in fancy instantly live
in the old coaching days and see disap-
pearing to the west in q cloud of dust the
"Flying Mair' or the Wonder" or witt
pathetic recognition remember the coun-
try yokels, resting on that broad stile
the meantime munching their crusts as
they gaZed down the Thames to West
minister's towers and st. PauPs dome and
dream Of the wondrous London streets
all paved with shining gold?
And then the messy bridges, with steep,
old-fashioned pitch and broad, crumbling
parapets, where rosy-cheeked lasses still
linger and marvel as your bus goes rum
bling by; gray turnstiles leading tC
brown, deep tootpaths that wind through
gardens and fields, where some one, as il
the old days, always tarries and turns tc
gaze at paSserS, gazing in their turn, as
though the two were the only ones seer
in q whole days journey; the gay bu
stolid looking barges lying here and there
in the back water against the shore, and
V,
years bring no change, and where every.
thing is so little, odd and antiquated thai
you could feel no surprise If Farmer
George and Queen Charlotte, with lum.
bering caleche and six horses, came dash
ing through the gates of Royal Kew.
About zoo years ago Lord Capel laic
out the garden which has since become
not only one of London's most beautiful
pleasant grounds, but a scientific institu
ton, whose influence and benefits react
10 all quarters of the globe. On the deatl
of Lord Capel in 1886, the estate passed
into the hands of his son-in-law, whC
made the place still more famous as The
headquarters of English astronomists
Under the advice of the Earl of Butte TIL,
dowager Princess Augusta made it sci
entific establishment, and it was called
the "Physic Garden.n AS early as I76
Sir John Hill published a catalogue of tht
nlants of Kew. There were then fit,
ierns. coo trees and shrubs and severa
thousand herbaceous plants. In 1889 tn,
estate was bought by George III. HI
devoted much money and attention to it
jmuroyement. Farmer George" he wa
called, in praise by scientists and in de
rision by taxpayers, for his pains. For
long time after THIS monarch oeath th
gardens sank into neglect. lt was thel
Droposed to diSestabliSh and disendoy
Them. A protest was raised and tn
whole kingdom opposed, whereupon tn
gardens were surrendered by the crow
and became national establishment Il
1910.
Then Royal Kew in name became Roya
Kew in fact under the directorsnips c
Sir w. j. Hooker, who remained l.
charge until his death, in 1865, and hi
son, Sir John Hooker, the renoWne
traveller and botanist, who sueceede
him. The latter is known to every STU
dent of botany in the world from nj
- ol.31-a