1884.] A FOBEST WONDEB. 413 



carriages to pass along. It was on this subterranean roadway that 

 the Prince of Wales was conveyed when he honoured the present 

 Duke of Portland with a visit at the latter end of the year 1881. 

 Nothing more effectual could have been designed for the object the 

 eccentric nobleman had in view. Stepping into the tunnel during the 

 hot days of summer the traveller feels as if he had walked into an 

 icehouse, and the whole length of its interior can be traversed without 

 catching the slightest glimpse of the Abbey, or the beautiful park 

 under which it passes. Walking through the park the pedestrian can 

 trace the tunnel by means of the skylights referred to, as it passes 

 under clumps of trees and groves of Ehododendrons ; and the same 

 idea of burrowing is carried out in the well-appointed lodges scattered 

 over the huge domain. 



Under and about the Abbey, however, the duke displayed the most 

 brilliant capacity for subterranean construction. The private tunnels 

 and underground apartments attached to the Abbey are indescribable 

 specimens of costly thought and princely effort, and afford the most 

 astonishing indication of the eccentricity which marked the career of 

 the late Duke of Portland. In these labyrinths the noble owner could 

 pass from one building to another in all sorts of weather, and appear 

 at any moment at a required spot without giving warning of his 

 approach. The perfectly constructed passages lead to an underground 

 suite of rooms of extraordinary magnificence. Upwards of £20,000 

 to £30,000 were spent in draining and preparing the ground for this 

 palace of Aladdin, and -the work was carried out with a total dis- 

 regard of the cost. A subterranean ballroom, 166 feet long, forms 

 part of the number, and for festive delight it would be difficult to 

 imagine a more perfect apartment. The walls are hung with mirrors 

 of great value, with beautifully adorned alcoves wherein the ' whirl ers ' 

 can retire and seek seclusion from the arena of gaiety. The decora- 

 tion is artistically pleasing, and the visitors can roam about from one 

 underground conservatory to another, or be ' lifted ' without effort to 

 the upper air. The doors are of enormous weight and size, and, like 

 the famous Chatsworth ' garden gate,' are so perfectly hung that they 

 respond to the lightest touch, and close with a precision accurate and 

 astonishing. Through these subterranean apartments the visitor can 

 roam until wonderment becomes entirely satiated ; passing through a 

 magnificent library into a spacious billiard chamber, with reception 

 rooms and writing rooms in proximity to these superb salons of 

 delight. In every detail the most refined taste has been displayed, 

 and the furniture compares favourably with the elegance of the 

 decorations. The absence of fireplaces is a noticeable feature, the 

 underground palace being warmed without visible flame or annoying 

 draught. 



