ST. JAMES'S & GREEN PARKS 71 



one between the Duke of Grafton and Dr. Garth, 

 of 200 yards, was the excitement of the day. There 

 were odd and original races got up, and wagers freely 

 staked. Some inhuman parents backed their baby of 

 eighteen months old to walk the whole length of the 

 Mall ("half a mile) in thirty minutes, and the poor little 

 mite performed the feat in twenty-three minutes. What 

 comments would modern philanthropic societies have 

 made on such a performance ! 



A race between a fat cook and a lean footman caused 

 great merriment, but as the footman was handicapped by 

 carrying no lbs., the fat cook won. Another time it 

 was a hopping-race which engrossed attention — a man 

 undertook to hop one hundred yards in fifty hops, and 

 succeeded in doing it in forty-six — and endless variety 

 of similar follies. The crowds who assembled indulged 

 in every sort of gaiety ; " in short, no freedoms that can 

 be taken here are reckoned indecent ; all passes for raillery 

 and harmless gallantry." 



Although open to all the world for walking, only 

 royal personages or a few specially favoured people were 

 allowed to drive through. It was one of the grievances 

 of the Duchess of Marlborough when the Duke was 

 in disgrace that the privilege of driving her coach and 

 six through the Park was denied her. The remaining 

 restrictions with regard to carriages have only passed 

 away in very recent years. The notice board stating that 

 Members of Parliament during the session might drive 

 through the Park from Great George Street to Marl- 

 borough House was only removed when the road was 

 opened to all traffic in 1887, and Constitution Hill 

 only became a public highway in 1889. The use of 

 the road passing under the Horse Guards' Archway is 



