Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-01-12
FROM PARIS, MAINE, TO PARIS,
FRANCE.
No. 8.
WHITEHALL, LONDON BRIDGE, AND
HYDE PARK.

WHITEHALL, LONDON BRIDGE, AND
HYDE PARK.
trrom our spccia, Foreign Correspondent
LONDON, ENGLAND.
| Another place Of famous though
brutal "reminiscences IL whitehall. IL
called Blackhall Il would be more ap-
propriate, for the magnificent buildings,
once Of beautiful white marble, are
black with the SCOT and CRIME Of smoky
| London: but the name IL from the royal
palace OF Whitehall, built more than 700
wears ago, and Of which only the ban
quoting hall remains. The memories Of
tragic episodes enacted within It's walls
are most intense. Here Cardinal Wolsey,
born In l47l, the son OF butcher, but
afterwards raised to the highest position
In the state BY King Henry VIII, gave
his costly and splendid entertainments,
and here he was banished by the tickle
and august king for failing to support
the divorce between him and Catherine
Of Arragon. and all his vast possessions
were seized by his ungrateful master.
He died as his prosecutors were carrying
him to his trial. And It Is here also that
the king himself became enamored OF
the unhappy Anne Boleyn, mother OF
Queen Elizabeth, whom four years after
his marriage to her he accused OF inf-
deity and condemned TO death. She
was beheaded within the walls Of Lon
don Tower. The day after he married
| wife No. 3. Here ne died In l5i7.
Ii was from Whitehall that Elizabeth
was carried prisoner to the Tower, and
to Whitehall she returned In triumph a.
queen of England. We also saw the
opening In the wall where Charles Was
led out to the scafiold and executed In
the street near by. Here Oliver Crom-
well took up his residence, and here at
tendants point out the chamber In which
he aud others signed the death warrant
of Charles. Here Cromwell died In lG5S,
and here also Charles IL held disgrace
| full court, one of the darkest blots on the
fame OF Englsnd-and here he died In
1855.
The most interesting sight TO look at
| ia the Royal Horse Guards number OF
| mounted soldiers, stationed at each en-
trance Of the buildings, which at this
day are mostly government property
and offices. Each man must be six feet
or more In height, and the horse In pro-
portion; and with the glittering armor
and rich capsrison OF both man and
beast. as they stand perfectly motionless,
facing you, il il most msjestic aud I'm
posing sight, and you are almost forced
Il ~ 81
moulded by human hands, instead OF
human flesh and blood, and fire of youth,
and animal mettle, beauty and life. At
intervals Of one hour, the Life Guards
are relieved, aud at the stroke Of the
hour, the statue, like Galatea, springs
into life, and another, so like the first IS
TO make you think IL has sprung up out
OF the earth, takes Its place on the self
same spot.
Temple Bar is 80 called from Its being
the site of q famous gateway standing
| iu front OF the temple erected by the
Knights Templsrs, religious and mill
taty order founded In Jerusalem In the
| l2th century. The heads Of criminals
used to be barbarously exhibited On iron
spikes on the top Of this gate.
Il
the Old Bailey, the court house Of New
gate prison, the principal prison OF Lon
don since Tyburn: and until few years
ago, executions were public and free to
all, in front Of the prison. Long before
the time set for the awful though iaetul
murder. crowds Of people would stand
waiting for hours. Truly those days Of
brutal barbarity would almost make one
believe in the Darwinisn theory reversed
aud that the brute descended from man,
instead OF man from the brute. One OF
the famous prisoners once confined here
was william Penn.
| Famed London Bridge, until 100 years
ago, was the only bridge crossing the
Thames. IL WAS originally built in 100,
but within the last century has had to be
reconstructed. 1t Is estimated that l5,-
600 vehicles and 100000 pedestrians
cross this bridge daily. 1t Is difficult to
find words to express the emotions ones
memory recalls AS she stands on this
bridge and looks up and down the river,
as far as the eye can penetrate the
smoky atmosphere, and sees forests Of
masts, and on one side the massive, tall,
square stone towers Of Tower Bridge,
one tower rising ii seems from the very
feet of grim, CHASTITY, fierce old London
Tower, aud the other from the opposite
side of the Thsmes-each massive col
umn supported by gracefully curving
lines stretched from the top to distant
triangle at the foot, and the upper
bridge stretching from tower to tower,
high, high above the river.
Just as the sun, red, aud dimly out
lined through the shadowy atmosphere,
went to sleep 10 his watery bed at one
end of the river, the big, round, full
moon, pale with struggling to dissipate
the mists that closed and tightly held
her In their embrace, rose from her
slumbers at the opposite end, painting a
picture on memory's canvas that can
never be effsced.
Blsckfriars Bridge Is another bridge
now crossing the Thames, which took
its name from an ancient monastery Of
the Black Friars, dating from 1876.
Shakespeare once lived here, and In 1893
acted at a theatre which occupied the
site of the monastery.
or Rotten Row, does no one know
why on earth 1t was called so, unless 1t
Is because nobody can ride there unless
they are irotten with wealth.? From
the name, one would naturally think It
a dirty, noisome, unwholesome place,
but instead Of that 1t Is the most fash
ionable boulevard in all London. II
consists OF two circular roads In Hyde
Park like two race-courses, one within
the other. The outside one Is for people
who ride In carriages, the inside one for
riders on horseback. They are separated
by couple Of rods Of grass, broken by
some guarded, picturesque old trees. AL.
though it Is not the fashionable season
in London-people going to their coun-
try houses In the winter instead OF the
summer here to get rid Of the dampness
and fog-yet the place is pretty we
filled, and there are many fine equipages
and saddle horses, the latter being
noticeable, of course, for the absence OF
caudaI appendages. 1t Is "heads win
and tails you lose" here surely, when
.. applied to these poor horses.
It is evident that the people are not
out to enjoy the exhilsration OF drive
ia the afternoon air, but to show them
selves and their fine feathers and horse
,, flesh. They are a naughty looking lot
10 the carriages, and similarly swell
crowd on horseback. Occasionally hal
Is raised to some high-chinned, straight
backed dowager, who stiffiy returns the