Charta are familiar to the reader. The birth of Edward III., which took place at Windsor, forms another epoch in its history-that prince having reconstructed the greater part of the castle, and very largely extended it. William of Wykeham was the architect, with the liberal salary of a shilling a day. It is said he had six hundred workmen employed on the building, at the rate of one penny. It was here Richard II. heard the appeal of high treason, brought by the Duke of Lancaster against Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, which resulted in the former becoming Henry IV. It was here the Earl of Surrey, imprisoned for the high crime of eating flesh in Lent, beguiled his solitude with his muse; and here was the last prison of that unfortunate monarch, Charles I. In Windsor Castle also resided the haughty Elizabeth; and along its terrace might have been seen, in the days of the Commonwealth, the stern figure of the lion-hearted Cromwell. It was the residence of Henry VII., and the prison of James I. of Scotland. It is indebted for most of its modern splendor to the luxurious taste and prodigal expenditure of George IV., who obtained from the House of Commons the sum of £300,000 for the purpose. The suites of royal apartments at present in use by the Queen are superb in the extreme, especially the state draw ing rooms, in which are nine pictures by Zuccarelli; and St. George's Hall-a vast apartment, in which the state banquets are given. The long walk, extending about three miles in a direct line to the Palace, presents the finest vista of its kind in the world. It extends from the grand entrance of the Castle, to the top of a commanding hill in the Great Park, which affords a panoramic view of enchanting beauty, including many places memorable in history. On the right is the Thames, seen beyond Charter Island, and the plain of Runnymede, where the Barons extorted Magna Charta, whilst in the hazy distance are the rising eminences of Harrow and Hampstead. On the summit of this hill stands the equestrian statue of George III. Near the avenue called Queen Elizabeth's Walk, tradition still points out a withered tree as the identical oak of "Herne the Hunter," who, as the tale goes, "Sometimes a keeper here in Windsor Forest, St. George's Chapel presents a beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture of different periods. The interior is very magnificent. Its groined roof and splendid stained glass windows, with the pendant banners of the Knights of the Garter, combine together to present an effect of marvellous beauty. Beneath the chapel is the burial-place of several monarchs of Edward IV., Henry VIII., Jane Seymour., Charles I., the Princess Charlotte of Wales, George III. and his Queen, George IV., William IV. and his Queen, and others. The classic groves of Eton here burst upon the view. The Royal College of Eton consists of two quadrangular buildings of the Tudor style of art. It was founded by Henry VI. in 1440. The Chapel is a Gothic structure, somewhat resembling that of King's College, Cambridge. Its Library is. one of the best and most extensive in England. Many literary celebrities have emanated from Eton College. Slough, about a mile from Eton, was the residence of Herschel, the astronomer; and in addition to Virginia Water, the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom, we may mention Stoke Pogis, the classic ground of the poet Gray. Here we reach the terminus of our pleasant perambulatory tour, and conclude our colloquial comments on the notabilia of London and its suburbs, not, however, without the consciousness that these brief notes by the way might have been advantageously extended, for while there are ponderous tomes of learned lore touching the subject, which we leave to the patient scrutiny of the antiquary, there is yet much of eminent interest that has been garnered by more modern writers, to which we have scarcely alluded. Those who desire fuller details, therefore, we refer to the admirable volumes of Cunningham, Knight, and Mackay, to whose collections, indeed, we have been indebted in no small measure for whatever of interest may attach to the foregoing chapters. Here, then, we bid adieu to the noble city-alike fragrant with memories of the past, and affluent in all that constitutes its present greatness and splendor. 66 August and glorious City! Thy renown The lengthened records of the stream of Time. No more may war disturb thy halcyon reign, |