7 o LONDON PARKS & GARDENS 
skirts, thick boots, and warm or mackintosh coats. It 
must have been much more distressing in the days of 
powdered hair, picture hats, and flimsy garments. No 
wonder M. Grosley was astounded at the persistence 
of the poor draggled ladies. 
All foreign visitors to London naturally went to 
see the Mall. Here is the account of a German baron, 
describing the man of the world : “ He rises late, dresses 
himself in a frock (close-fitting garment, without pockets, 
and with narrow sleeves), leaves his sword at home, takes 
his cane, and goes where he likes. Generally he takes 
his promenade in the Park, for that is the exchange 
for the men of quality. ’Tis such another place as the 
Garden of the Tuileries in Paris, only the Park has a 
certain beauty of simplicity which cannot be described. 
The grand walk is called the Mall. It is full of people 
at all hours of the day, but especially in the morning 
and evening, when their Majesties often walk there, with 
the royal family, who are attended only by half-a-dozen 
Yeomen of the Guard, and permit all persons to walk at 
the same time with them.” 
A writer in 1727, waxing eloquent on the charms 
of the Park, gives up the task of describing it, as “ the 
beauty of the Mall in summer is almost past description.” 
“ What can be more glorious than to view the body of 
the nobility of our three kingdoms in so short a compass, 
especially when freed from mixed crowds of saucy fops 
and city gentry ? ” But more often the company was 
very mixed, and manners peculiar. This brilliant and 
motley assembly indulged in all kinds of amusements. 
Even the grandest frequenters afforded diversion some¬ 
times to the “ saucy fops.” Wrestling matches between 
various courtiers attracted crowds, or a race such as 
