with picturesque spots, in which Watteau would have rejoiced, as backgrounds for his satin and brocaded dames.

This garden is most delightful-perpetually bright, and sunny, and shady. It is this, we think, Evelyn describes, when he says

"In the garden is a rich and noble fountaine, with syrens statues cast in copper by Fanelli, but no plenty of water. The cradel walk of horne beame in the garden is, for the perplexed twining of the trees, very observable. There is a parterre, which they call Paradise, in which is a pretty banqueting-house set over a cave or cellar. All these gardens might be exceedingly improved, as being too narrow for such a palace."

Alas! Fanelli's statues are gone, both from the fountain and the garden-the pedestals left bare without them. The cradel walk and a house still called the "banqueting-house" remain, but all memory of the "Paradise" has vanished. The gardener knows nothing of it, even traditionally. The ground-floor of the building, in cold weather, is filled with orange-trees, myrtles, and aloes; soine of them as old as the part of the palace which protects them, being remnants of Queen Mary's botanical collection. In the summer they are removed to a sheltered excavation in the adjoining garden, made expressly to ho'd them.

here," the largest in Europe, if not in the world," according to the Stranger's Guide-book, a very good sixpenny-worth of information,-in the autumn, almost drags its house down, with its thousand clusters of purple grapes, numbering, in fruitful seasons, as many as two thousand five hundred bunches, of a pound weight each. It is a wonderful sight. We can only report, on hearsay, that the fruit-the black Hamburgh grape

is very fine, for it is exclusively preserved for the Queen's dessert. The principal stem, nearly thirty inches in circumference at starting, is above one hundred and ten feet long, and would outgrow the building, if permitted, which has been enlarged, from time to time, and even at present encloses a space of 2200 square feet. A very good portrait of this

vine is sold by the gardener, and is well worthy a horticulturist's purchase. Parts of the old palace overlooking these gardens have been restored, not, we are sorry to say, with red brick of harmonious colour, and not, in some cases, with suitable mullioned windows. You must not quit these pleasant private gardens, without passing down the "cradel' walk of hornbeam, called "Queen Mary's Bower"-why, we know not, seeing it was there in Charles II.'s time, and sheltered, perhaps, even Nell Gwynne, from the sunbeams-then to the fountain, and up the terrace, parallel with the broad gravel walk in the public gardens.

And when you leave will be the time for taking a last look at the southern and eastern fronts of the palace. Their orange-coloured brick, contrasted with the cooler grey stone ornament and the deep sombre yews, make a picture, under all lights, ready for the painter's easel. The sculptures of the Corinthian capitals, and other ornaments are still sharp and perfect; the latter, chiselled with great freedom, we judge to be the work of Grinling Gibbons: Hercules conquering Envy is the subject of the bassi-relievi of the eastern pediment.

We now proceed to the further end of the broad walk, for the purpose of examining the very elegant gate, called the

the sculptures of which yet retain their original crispness. We pass, on the left, the

TENNIS COURT,

the inside of which we examined in the early part of our

visit. A little beyond the Tennis Court is a door leading to

THE WILDERNESS,

ten acres of pleasant paths, under the shade of numerous groves of full-grown trees-a place for "whispering lovers" made.

Tired, as any one must be, who has seen, even hastily, the buildings, paintings, and gardens he has just quitted, let him muster sufficient strength and resolution to enjoy the fun of

THE MAZE,

the great and popular wonder of this part of the grounds, "A mighty maze, but not without a plan."

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So punned Pope, who made Hampton Court the scene of his Rape of the Lock." Unless familiar with the knack of getting in and out, the visitor will not sympathize with Switzer, a gardener of note, who complained that this maze had only four stops! he, more knowing in the science of labyrinth-making, had constructed one with twenty! It is rather pleasant, though odd, to find a man enthusiastic in constructing mazes-an out-of-the-way accomplishment, certainly. A maze was probably here in Henry VIII.'s time. Its walks are said to amount to half a mile, though the whole extent covered is not more than a quarter of an acre. Thus aptly with amazement, end the wonders of Hampton Court!

Through the graceful wrought-iron gates of William III.'s time, called

we make our exit, and cross the high road to Kingston into BUSHY PARK,

with its matchless groves of chesnuts. A bronze figure of Diana surmounts the fountain which stands motionless in the centre of the round piece of water at the south end of the Park. Before you quit the Park through the Teddington gates, a large homely-looking red brick house is seen on the west. It is the residence of the Dowager Queen, and was formerly inhabited by William IV. before he became king. Thanks to Timothy Bennet, shoemaker, of Hampton Wick, a patriot who contested with George I. the right of way, and got the best of the suit-we may here enjoy a stroll homewards, or a pic-nic under the shading fans of the chesnuts-a merry end -if we are not too fine for such a thing-to a summer's day at Hampton Court!