PEOPLES GARDEN. 79 



and, on either side, and over these, are rooms, which probably 

 serve as inconvenient lodges for the labourers. No porter 

 appears, and the gates are freely open to the public. 



Walking a short distance up an avenue, we passed through 

 another light iron gate into a thick, luxuriant, and diversified 

 garden. Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent 

 in studying the manner in which art had been employed to 

 obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit 

 that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought 

 of as comparable with this People s Garden. Indeed, gar 

 dening, had here reached a perfection that I had never before 

 dreamed of. I cannot undertake to describe the effect of so 

 much taste and skill as had evidently been employed ; I will 

 only tell you, that we passed by winding paths, over acres 

 and acres, with a constant varying surface, where on all sides 

 were growing every variety of shrubs and flowers, with more 

 than natural grace, all set in borders of greenest, closest turf, 

 and all kept with most consummate neatness. At a distance 

 of a quarter of a mile from the gate, we came to an open field 

 of clean, bright, green-sward, closely mown, on which a large 

 tent was pitched, and a party of boys in one part, and a party 

 of gentlemen in another, were playing cricket. Beyond this 

 was a large meadow with rich groups of trees, under which a 

 flock of sheep were reposing, and girls and women with chil 

 dren, were playing. While watching the cricketers, we were 

 threatened with a shower, and hastened back to look for 

 shelter, which we found in a pagoda, on an island approached 

 by a Chinese bridge. It was soon filled, as were the other 

 ornamental buildings, by a crowd of those who, like ourselves, 

 had been overtaken in the grounds by the rain ; arid I was 

 glad to observe that the privileges of the garden were enjoyed 

 about equally by all classes. There were some who were 

 attended by servants, and sent at once for their carriages, 



