FEBRUARY. 55 



picturesque ; the ground slopes gently from you to a valley, beyond 

 which are gentle undulations covered with rich masses of Oak, against 

 which the large breadth of Roses, " of all hues," is most happily con- 

 trasted ; it must be seen, to be fully appreciated. In the height of the 

 season (for it was now September), it must be enchanting, and will 

 repay the tourist for a trip by railway. 



Retracing my steps, I returned via Lewes, and from thence to 

 Arundel Castle, the noble residence of the Duke of Norfolk. 



Those who have heard of the far-famed productions of Mr M'Ewen, 

 his Grace's gardener, and who, like myself, are fortunate enough to get 

 access, and experience tlie kind courtesy of that gentleman, have a treat 

 of no ordinary kind in visiting this unique establislmient. 



There is something very impressive in the general expression of our 

 old baronial castles ; their generally commanding position, venerable 

 aspect, massiveness of structure, and the interesting historical associations 

 connected wnth most of them, excite in our minds feelings of the most 

 lively interest. In looking at them, our mind's eye is carried back to 

 the age of feudalism, when the despotic owners of such residences were 

 the inheritors of not only the broad lands on which their proud castles 

 frowned grimly, but were also the lords of the vassal population which 

 was located upon the estate. This was the age in which the " strong 

 man armed " kept his house, and awed his dependents by acts of 

 tyranny and deeds of daring misrule ; this was the age when " might" 

 constitute] " right," and when oppression was the first-born fruit of 

 power. Happily for us, the magnates of our land can now reside 

 peaceably in their castles, without the necessity of employing warder, 

 watch-tower, or portcullis. The bulwarks which protect their residences 

 are the result of the fostering care and the consequent development of 

 the peaceful arts. The occupier of the neat and comfortable farm- 

 house, with its well-arranged homestead — the tenant of the humble but 

 not less happy cottage, has, each in his home, a castle ; while the 

 blessings of the education which is now given in almost every village by 

 its proprietor, aided by its most powerful auxiliary, the allotment 

 garden, and the general extension of the principle of " fervent charity 

 to all men :" — all these things win for our exalted men the love and 

 esteem of those in humbler life, and raise around them and their castles 

 bulwarks much stronger than those formed by warlike strategy, and 

 which will be far more imperishable than the legends of chivalry. 



How great " a change has come o'er the spirit " of the age ! In by- 

 gone years, the powerful baror.s were "ever and anon" taking umbrage 

 at some petty offence on the part of their haughty compeers, sum- 

 moning their retainers, and waging barbarous warfare. Now, the prince, 

 the peer, and the farmer only enter the lists together in honourable 

 competition for prize oxen, horses, and sheep. The sword of civil strife 

 is sheathed, let us hope for ever, and converted into "the ploughshare." 

 We see the most "high and mighty" of our land doing all in their 

 power to increase the sum of human happiness, by devoting themselves 

 to the improvement of their estates and their natural dependents — 

 whether farmers, artisans, or labourers — not only by cultivating and 

 expanding their minds by fit methods of instruction, but by permitting 



