SECRETARY'S REPORT. 243 



English climate and English taste. Thus there are the terraces and the 

 architectural display, the long walks, the carefully cut beds, and the 

 ornamental fountains; but the undulationsof greensward give a character 

 ^o the borrowed elements which they do not find elsewhere. The violent 

 juxtaposition of the two styles of gardening — the Italian and the English 

 — it may readily be conceived, would produce a harsh and disagreeable 

 effect. To avoid the collision Sir Joseph Paxton has introduced, in the 

 immediate vicinity of the terraces and the broad central walk, a mixed 

 or transitional style, combining the formality of the one school with tlie 

 freedom and natural grace of the other ; and the former character is 

 gradually diminished until, at the north side of the ground, it entirely 

 disappears, and English landscape-gardening is looked upon in all its 

 beauty." 



But I had almost forgotten to speak of the Musical Festival. 

 Imagine four thousand performers to constitute the chorus, and 

 the most scientific and skilful musicians in Europe for the solos 

 and duetts ; imagine an audience of several thousands, com- 

 prising the elite of fashion and taste, seated under a roof of 

 glass, and surrounded by so many fairy forms of art, and you 

 can form some slight idea of tliis grand entertainment. As I 

 had the good fortune to have a seat in the reporters' gallery, 

 right in front of the vast choir, I could not fail to give myself 

 up to the enjoyment of the hour, and drink in the soul-thrilling 

 music that rolled through the great central court of this 

 immense structure. No language of mine can convey to the 

 mind any clear conception of this finished performance, even if 

 space permitted me to dwell longer upon it. 



The Americans had a dinner in the palace on the Fourth of 

 July, and though I had received a 'kind invitation to dine with 

 Mr. George Peabody, to whom I had delivered letters of intro- 

 duction, I felt it my duty to attend, in order to help secure as 

 large a success as possible to the enterprise. Tiie American 

 Consul presided, and many patriotic speeches were made. The 

 American Minister chose to dine with Mr. Peabody, and his 

 absence was a subject of considerable remark among the 

 numerous representatives of the country there. I spent most 

 of the day previous to the dinner hour, in the palace and 

 the grounds adjacent to it. 



Having met a friend from New Hampshire (the Hon. Fred- 

 erick Smyth, of Manchester,) in London, he was anxious that 



