356 
THE LADIES MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
in the castle also were fitted up in the Batty Langley gothic of about a 
hundred years ago, so that there was nothing in them to carry the imagi¬ 
nation back to the days of the Percy of Chevy Chase. The walls were, 
however, interesting, with the armoury containing arms for the retainers 
of the family; but even this armoury was not permitted to carry the 
imagination back to the old times of the feudal grandeur of the Percy 
race; as it was disfigured by some canoes and Indian arms from New 
Zealand, which the porter showed off much in the same style as Mr. 
Catlin does his Indian relics in the Egyptian Hall, Pall Mall. After 
seeing the grounds near the castle, we took a drive through the beautiful 
woods on the other side of the turnpike-road, to see the Duchess’s dairy, 
the Prospect Tower, and, above all, the romantic ruins of Hulne Abbey. 
The river winds so much in passing through these woods, and the drives 
are so contrived, as to afford a series of most beautiful views, which 
succeed each other in such a manner as to produce a constant variety. 
September 19 .—AlnwicJc to Newcastle , through Morpeth .—On the 
route, we only saw one place, viz. Blagdon House, the seat of Sir 
Matthew White Ridley, the grounds of which are flat and without any 
distant view. 
September 20.— Newcastle .—The most remarkable place I saw at 
Newcastle was the library of our friend Mr. Sopwith, at whose house 
we were staying. In this room every table, chest, and cabinet, has its 
secret drawers, which spring open at a touch, replete with everything that 
can be wanted even by the most fastidious writer or artist. This room is 
the very temple of order, and the immense quantity of mineralogical 
specimens, drawings, and other treasures it contains, bids defiance to all 
ordinary powers of description. In one of the cabinets were a number of 
keys hung up, with engraved ivory labels attached to each; this was 
pointed out to my attention, but, as I had seen things of the kind before, 
I took little notice of it, till I was told to take off one of the keys, and 
to close the cabinet door; when, to my great amusement, I saw an ivory 
label, containing the name of the missing key, push itself out, and remain 
staring me in the face, till I restored the key to its place, when the label 
instantly disappeared. I cannot conceive a better plan for shaming a 
careless person into order. 
September 21.— Gibside .—This is a fine old place, laid out in the Louis 
Quatorze style, with long avenues of the kind called the patte-d’oie , or 
goose’s-foot; that is, all proceeding from one point, and spreading out 
in different directions, like the radii of a semicircle, each ending in a 
temple, or obelisk, &c. There is here a column 140 feet high, with a 
statue of Liberty on the top, 12 feet high; and a fine terrace walk, leading 
