On the abdication of King James II., Hampton Court Palace became one of the favourite residences of King William III., who made the palace what it now is, and laid out the gardens and parks in their present form. Queen Mary, his illustrious consort, was equally partial to this palace; and it was here that she employed herself and her maids of honour in needle-work, one room of which was entirely fitted up with beautiful embroidery. Her Majesty chiefly resided here, when placed at the head of affairs, during the King's absence in Ireland or Holland. After the death of William III. Queen Anne resided here occasionally. George I. also sometimes here held his court. George II. and his Queen, Caroline, were the last sovereigns that resided at Hampton Court; and in October, 1731, their Majesties gave a grand entertainment to Francis, Duke of Lorraine, afterwards Emperor of Germany.

In its present state, Hampton Court Palace consists of three principal squares: the western court is one hundred and sixty-seven by one hundred and sixtytwo feet, and is divided into several suites of apartments, occupied by private families; the middle square is one hundred and thirty-four feet and a half by one hundred and thirty-four feet, and is called the Clock-court, from a curious astronomical clock being placed over the gateway; over the archway are the arms of Cardinal Wolsey, and on the small towers are the busts of the Roman Emperors; on the east side, Titus, Otho, Galba, Julius; on the west side, Vitellius, Augustus; in the first court are Trajan, Adrian; and at the western entrance are the Emperors Tiberius and Nero; they have lately been restored, but were originally sent from Rome by Pope Leo X. to Cardinal Wolsey to decorate this palace; in the archway between the first and second court a flight of stone steps leads up to the Great Hall.

This splendid Gothic hall, designed by Wolsey, and

finished by Henry VIII., when Anne Boleyn was in the height of favour, is one hundred and six feet long, forty wide, and sixty high; the roof is very beautifully carved, and richly decorated with the arms and badges of Henry VIII., and strikes every eye with its magnificence, the grandeur of its proportions, and the propriety of its ornaments.

The walls are hung with a fine specimen of arras tapestry, in eight compartments, the arabesque borders of which are most beautiful-the subject is the History of Abraham.

The first represents God appearing to Abraham, and blessing him.

The second, the birth of Isaac, the circumcision of Isaac, and the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael.

The third, Abraham sending his servant to seek a wife for his son Isaac.

The fourth, the Egyptians sending away Abraham and Sarah with gifts.

The fifth, Abraham entertaining three Angels.

The sixth, Abraham purchasing the cave of Machpelah for a burying place.

The seventh, Abraham and Lot parting.

The eighth, Abraham offering up Isaac."

This hall is also ornamented with many other curiosities of art in tapestry, paintings, and carved work. We have said that this palace might be called a cluster of palaces. We should quite fill this little book and several more by giving only a list of all the splendid rooms, and galleries, and staircases, with the pictures and paintings which ornament them, of which there are hundreds, so many, that visitors at length grow weary of looking at them, and are glad to find their way out of what seems like a wilderness of wonders, into the beautiful gardens which surround the palace.

We could not help reflecting as we left this once splendid seat of royalty-Ah! where now are all the

gay creatures who once fluttered in brilliant splendour through these stately halls-all in the dark cold grave! And such is always the end of all human grandeur.

"The walks in the gardens, wilderness, and palace, are about three miles in extent. The palace itself occupies eight acres of ground. The great eastern front of the building is of brick, of a bright red hue, but the numerous decorations are of stone"-(see the engraving.)

"The entrance by the east front at once opens upon the public gardens, and from which you have a view of the Home Park, and its avenues of elm and lime trees, reaching in a straight line to the banks of the Thames and Kingston, with a lake or canal of water in the centre, nearly three quarters of a mile in length. Along this front of the palace there is a broad gravel walk, leading down on the right to the banks of the Thames, and on the left to a gate, called the Flowerpot Gate, which opens on the Kingston-road. At the right-hand corner of the east front, there is a door which opens into the private garden, where there are two greenhouses, with a few rare plants, the remains of Queen Mary's botanical collection, and some large orange trees, many of them in full bearing; but the greatest curiosity here is the large vine, certainly the largest in Europe, if not in the world. The house is seventy-two feet long, and the breadth on the rafters thirty. The large vine, which was planted in 1768, is above one hundred and ten feet long; at three feet from the ground the stem is nearly thirty inches in circumference; it is of the black Hamburgh grape, and the quantity it bears in some seasons exceeds two thousand five hundred bunches. Having seen the greenhouses and the vine, there is a pleasant walk down to the Thames, and then returning by the shadowy avenue, where the branching linden or lime trees defend you from the noon-day sun, you arrive at the fountain and oval basin, which contains some

But

very fine gold and silver fish, and have a full view of the east front with its embellishments. After passing the palace, we come to the Royal Tennis-court, said to be the finest in England. On passing the Tenniscourt, we come to a door which leads into what is called the Wilderness, a space of ground that was planted with trees and shrubs by King William III., so as to hide the buildings and irregularities of the northern side of the palace. The walks in the wilderness are very delightful, and seats are placed under some of the largest trees, and in the avenues. the great attraction here is the maze or labyrinth, which was formed in the early part of King William's reign. Many hours are spent by young persons, aye, and by the old too, in trying to discover the intricacies of the labyrinth. To the young, indeed, it is a source of great amusement and enjoyment. Then you pass through the magnificent Lion Gate. This handsome entrance is designed in a bold and elegant style. The large stone piers of the gates are richly decorated; their cornices supported by fluted columns, and surmounted by two stupendous lions. The ornamental iron work of the gates is curiously wrought."

Should our young readers inquire who occupies this palace now, we inform him that for about one hundred years it has ceased to be a royal residence. It is now occupied chiefly by poor members of the aristocracy that is, poor noblemen and poor noblewomen who are permitted to occupy apartments without charge. So that it is a kind of asylum for such persons, some of whom have small pensions from the State.

I ought here to state, that the palace is open to the public, free of all charge, every day in the week except Friday, when it is closed for the purpose of being cleaned.

And now, my young friends, I have given you a brief sketch of the history of this old royal palace.

You will never possess a palace on earth, but you may inhabit

"A Palace in the skies."

Our blessed Lord, just before he parted with his disciples, said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Believe then on Him who died for your sins, and when you leave this world, where all things change and pass away, you will be put in possession of " house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens."

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THE ENGINE DRIVERS.

WATER and flame to agreement came,
And a solemn league they swore,

To work such speed and to do such deed
As never was done before;

To be friends to Time, to be foes to space,
To mingle their rival powers,
And at giant's pace, in a giant's race,
To be slaves to us and ours.

The sign is made, the word is said

And the boiler coughs and hoots,

And taught to go, at the first right slow,

The long line onward shoots;

Till with valves that rattle quick, and with steam that volumes thick,

And with buffers each from other far apart,

While the sleepers quake below, and the wheels like

lightning go,

Through the tunnel and the bridge we dart.