The Commonwealth. — 1867-02-09 (London, England)

DAY ON THE WATER.  Out of the shadow and into the sun and on toward Kew. Hero, is Queen Elizabeth's time, lived Sir John Pickering, who got one fine morning an intireatioa that her Majoety intended to visit him. In the Har!elan Collection is an amusing note made by Sir John's steward as to what ought to be done in the house pending this visit. "Item: What presents shall be made to her Majesty and the followers?" This ;vas considered for all who came, even to the very footmen. The following oddly shows what was the cendition of a gentleman's house in those days :—" Item: The ewetyuinge of the house in all places by any means." In another place the steward reminds him self to decide " where my Lord or Essex is to lodge, out of the house, but near the Queer:o." It is not certain she was here on this occasion; she was surely so in the year following, to the keie laths cost, for he pave her a rich jewel, valued at £lOO, "a faire paire of virginals," and "a fine gown and juppin." In order to encourage such liberality the Qieen helped herself to "a salts (cellar), a stscone and a forke of faire agate." With respect to the "s wets Liege of the house, I remember a similar entry elsewhere in a letter from one of this Queen's courtiers to his wife, warning her to make preparations for such a visit, wherein he insists on the removal of everything that might be Ciaagreeable, "for her Majesty cannot abide a bed smelle." On your right hand is Beentforet, where the train-bands of London beat Prince Rupert and the Cavaliers, and, in 1010, Edmund Troesidee routed the Danes. By a law of Edward I. (1280), a toll of a penny was to be levied on all Jews and Jewesses passing on horsebaek over the bridge of the Brent, those on foot to pay a halfpenny; other passengers were exempt. All along the southern shore line there were remnants, even to the 13th century, of the "Coit Andreth," a "mighty wood" of the ancient Britons, that stretched hence southwards even to the sea. In the S atm times the Danish pirate galleys entered this math, and the wretched serfs stood amongst the woods to saateh the psei-age of the red or black ships, and tracked them by the flame of burning villages. Thoee terrible Northmen! against whom the poor wretch, together ,vith "battle, murder, and sudden death" (a furore Northmannorum), paie, ed with the "Good Lord, deliver tie," of his liturey ! I haverowed eight miles; so let LH land till evening, when the moon rises; then we will go on, if it please you; meanwhile, I will tell a few odds and ends about the villages we have passed. The seventeenth century has left us some curious records relating to Brantford. It appears hero, as at Kingston-orie Thames, Chiewiek, and Chelsea, that the parish rates were aided by the profits reeilltiug from the celebration of public sports and pastimee. Tee parish found the music, &s., respecting which is the foil.) Nin,g entry in the books of the fleet-named parish, 1023 "Paid for a drumbe, sticks, and a ease, IGe. ; " they seem to have been liberal in the use of this instrument, for this next entry shows—" Paid for tvo he's-is fur the thumbs, 2s. 8 I." What will the Mend ieity Society say to this e—" Given to a Knba (kniget'e) son in Dcvoeshire, being out of means, 61." Thanks so them, public, ()barb y may soon be as obsolete as another custom of that day now is—thus, "Paid Hs, to the oontractor for conveying away the witches." It is to be hoped it was only across and not 'fate the river (every, one knows that a running stream dissolves al: witchcraft, vide Burns's " Tam o' Shanter "). The danger of the service is evinced by the really high pries it received.--Itacmillan's Magazine.