44 



located at the corner of Flatbush and Vanderbilt ave- 

 nues, the former being a broad, diagonal avenue, passing- 

 through the densely populated portion of the city, and 

 intersecting several other principal avenues and many 

 principal streets, would naturally be the route selected 

 by many citizens to reach the park. 



From the principal entrance, the main drive takes a 

 northerly direction, penetrating at once into the seclusion 

 of the grounds. To the left is the excluding belt of trees, 

 which it alternately enters and skirts. On the right, 

 a succession of wooded hills, separated by picturesque 

 valleys, rise, until they culminate at Mount Prospect, the 

 highest elevation in the park. This last point is concealed 

 by judicious planting, until by a gradual and almost im- 

 perceptible ascent, the road reaches the summit, when 

 the extensive landscape bursts upon the view. Here a 

 broad esplanade affords room for a reasonable number of 

 vehicles to remain, without interruption to those which 

 are passing. The road here divides to the east and 

 west ; the latter crosses Flatbush avenue, by a simple 

 but substantial viaduct, and skirting the western bound- 

 ary reaches " The Parade " at First street, disclosing in 

 its route a fine interior view. 



It may be objected that a military display destroys, 

 in a measure, the needed seclusion of a park ; but, hap- 

 pily, the topography of the site selected is such as to 

 confine the spectacle to its immediate locality ; while to 

 exclude so large a portion of the public from the advan- 

 tages to be derived from the park, would be to defeat 

 one of its leading objects. This same ground may of 

 course be used for all kinds of out of door sports. A 



