164 THE BRITISH ISLES. 



llitchin and Baldock arc the only towns in that part of the county which slopes 

 down to the Ouse. The former is important as a corn market, and engages in the 

 manufacture of straw plait ; the latter boasts a church founded by the Templars in 

 the thirteenth century. 



MiDDLKSKX takes its name from those Saxons who settled in this " middle " 

 district. Though one of the smallest counties in England, it exceeds in population 

 all others, for within its limits lies the chief part of the metropolis. By the side 

 of London all other towns of the county dwindle into insignificance, nine-tenths of 

 its population being embraced within the limits of the metropolis. The Thames 

 divides Middlesex from Surrey, the Colne separates it from Buckinghamshire, the 

 Lea forms its eastern boundary towards Essex, whilst the Brent intersects its centre. 

 A range of chalk downs runs along the northern border, but the greater part of 

 the surface consists of gravel, loam, or clay, and is diversified by hills and gentle 

 undulations, which form a screen to the north of London, attaining its greatest 

 elevation (440 feet) in Hampstead Heath. By far the largest portion of the 

 county is in grass, the meadows along the Lea being particularly rich. Along the 

 Thames much land is occupied by market gardens and nurseries. 



Staines, on the left bank of the Thames, at its confluence with the Colne, marks 

 the extreme extent of the jurisdiction of the conservators of the Thames, the 

 boundary-stone bearing the date of 1280. This stone stands 3G| miles above London 

 Bridge. Descending past the villages of Laleham, Chertsey, Shepperton, Walton, 

 and Sunbury, we enter a portion of its valley famed for its sylvan scenery. Below 

 the village oi Hampton, where Garrick had his country seat till his death in 1779, and 

 which is the head-quarters of the Thames Angling Preservation Society, the gardens 

 of Uafnpton Court extend close to the river bank. This palace, built by Cardinal 

 "Wolsey, who was compelled to surrender it to his master, Henry VIIL, is at 

 present appropriated as a place of residence for court pensioners. A considerable 

 portion of the palace is, however, set apart as a picture gallery and museum. 

 Besides a good many paintings of inferior value, there are displayed here some 

 undoubted masterpieces. Most prominent amongst these are the portraits by 

 Yelasquez, Holbein, Titian, Vandyck, Gainsborough, and Lawrence. The fine 

 gardens are laid out in the manner of those of Versailles, but cannot compare with 

 them in the magnificence of their perspectives. Bushey Park, with its unrivalled 

 triple avenue of limes and horse-chestnuts, over a mile long, lies to the north of 

 Hampton Court. Passing through this park, we arrive at Teddington, at the head 

 of the tide, and virtually one of the suburbs of the great city, though not embraced 

 within its boundaries. Thence onward country seats, in the midst of grounds 

 famous for the beauty of their trees, become numerous. Ttcickcnham, opposite Eel 

 Pie Island, a famous resort of Thames anglers and picnic parties, is especially 

 favoured in this respect. Strawberry Hill, the castellated mansion built by 

 Horace Walpole in 1747, lies above this delightful village ; Orleans House, from 

 1852 — 71 the residence of the Due d'Aumale, but at present the home of an aristo- 

 cratic club, below it. Near the latter stood Pope's famous villa. Passing Ide- 

 worth, near which stands Sion House, the residence of the Duke of Northumber- 



