566 LON 
Ranger’s Lodge at the top of the hill, fronting towards 
Piccadilly, with its gardens and pleafure-grounds, forms 
a very pifturefque objeft, and is feen to advantage front 
the ride on the fouth fide of the park, called Conftitution- 
hill. This park contributes greatly to the pleafantnefs 
of the two palaces, as well as of the furrounding houfes, 
that are fituated fo as to command a view of it. 
We crofs the weft extremity of Piccadilly, into Hyde 
Park. It is a royal demefne, extending, between the great 
weftern road on the fouth fide and the road to Oxford on 
the north, to Kenfington. It is part of the ancient ma¬ 
nor of Hida, which belonged to the monaftery of St. Pe¬ 
ter at Weftminfter, till, in the reign of Henry VIII. it 
became the property of the crown. It was originally 
much larger than it is at prefer.t, having been reduced 
fince the furvey in 1652, when it contained fix hundred 
and twenty acres, by inclofing Kenfington gardens, and 
by grants of land, between Hyde-park Corner and Park- 
lane, for building on. According to a furvey taken in 
the year 1790, its prefent extent is three hundred and 
ninety-four acres, two roods, and thirty-eight poles. 
The fcenery of this park is very pleafing, and its na¬ 
tural beauties will be greatly heightened, when the plan¬ 
tations made in it lately have reached maturity. The 
Serpentine River, at the weft end, is a fine ftieet of water, 
formed by queen Caroline, in the year 1730, by enlarging 
the bed of the dream, which, taking its rife to the north- 
weft of Bayfwater, on the Uxbridge road, paftes through 
Kenfington-gardens and this park, and falls into the 
Thames near Ranelagh. On the north fide of the Serpen¬ 
tine River is a clutter of houfes for the keepers and de¬ 
puty-rangers of the park, which, being built on the edge 
of a grove of tall oaks, forms a pleafing and pifturefque 
object in the landfcape. The one neareft the river is 
built of timber and piafter, and is of confiderable anti¬ 
quity. It was known by the name of the Cake-houfe in 
the beginning of the laft century, and probably much ear¬ 
lier. In the garden belonging to this honfe, is the build¬ 
ing erefted by the Humane Society, as a receiving-houfe 
for thofe who are apparently drowned - in the neighbour¬ 
ing river. 
The fpace between the margin of the Serpentine River 
and the back of the houfes at Knightfbridge, is ftudded 
here and there with beautiful elm-trees, fonre of them are 
of an aftoniftiing fize ; and, when feen grouped together 
in the purple ocean of light poured upon them on a fum- 
mer evening a few minutes after funfet, they remind us 
of the charming fcene which the woody hills of St. Cloud 
and Bellevue prefent to the Parifians at the fame hour 
and on the fame point of the horizon. There is between 
thefe two landfcapes fomething fo fimilar, that he who has 
feen them both finds them generally united on the canvas 
of his recollection, and both apparently painted with the 
fame glowing pallet. 
At the north-weft corner of this park is a very beauti¬ 
ful inclofed eminence, called Buckden-hill, which, being 
feparated from Kenfington-gardens only by a haba, ap¬ 
pears, at a diftance, to be a part of it. On the declivity 
of this hill is the grove of oaks mentioned before, in 
which are two medicinal fprings ; the one, a (light chaly¬ 
beate, is drunk as a tonic, but its virtues ought probably 
to be attributed to the exercife taken in going thither 5 
the other is reputed a fpecific in fome dBorders of the 
eyes. There is a foot-path aerofs. this hill to Kenfington- 
gardens.—On the fouth fide of the park are very bandfome 
barracks for the horfe-guards ; and on this fide are two 
carriage-roads to Kenfington ; one of which is better 
known by the name of Rotten-row. Thefe have become 
the refort of the faftiionable world, as well as the Ring, 
and are as much frequented, efpecially on Sundays, No 
nation in the univerfe can approach us in this point of 
luxuriant oftentation ; and the fplendourof the equipages, 
their fancif ul variety, the richnefs and particular elegance 
of the harnefs, the beauty and fpirit o.f the cattle that 
draw them, combine, under this unrivalled point of view. 
D O N. 
all that is neceflary to convey at once the idea of a rich 
and highly-cultivated nation. The noble objefts within 
view of this park add an inexpreffible grandeur to its na¬ 
tural beauties. The venerable pile of Weftminfter-abbey, 
the modern manfions of the nobiiity, and many public 
buildings, form a boundary on the fide of the town, 
which makes a fine contrail with the rural profped op- 
polite, of the Sufry hills. 
The open part of the park was, till lately, ufed for the 
field-days and reviews of the horfe and foot guards, and 
alfo for thofe of the volunteers; by which the fward of it 
was fo much injured, that it had become a dry Tandy plain, 
with fcarcely a veftige of verdure. At prefent, however, 
it is ufed only for occafional reviews; and the furface is 
fown with grafs-feeds, and covered with the mud taken 
from the refervoir at the lower part of the Serpentine River, 
which will reftore it to its priftine beauty. This reftora- 
tion, however, has been a little retarded by the preflure 
of feet and temporary booths upon a late joyful occafion ; 
we mean the celebration of peace by means of a fair, and 
other amufements, the fcene of which was laid in the 
three parks, on Monday, the ift of Atiguft laft. 
Never, perhaps, in the annals of this vail metropolis 
had the curiofity of hundreds of thoufands of the public 
been more eagerly and anxioufly excited, than by the an¬ 
nunciation of the Grand Jubilee of this day. It is an in- 
difputable fa ft, that fo immenfe a number of the people 
at large were never brought together, in any previous in- 
ftance, by any defcription of public rejoicings, on any of 
the great events which have fo often gilded the pages of 
Britilli llory. After repeated delays, the centenary of 
the accefiion of the houfe of Brunfwick to the throne, and 
the anniverfary of the glorious viftory of the Nile, was 
felefted as the day for a jubilee in celebration of peace. It 
was announced that further poftponement would be ne- 
ceffary in cafe of unfavourable weather. The morning 
came: the fky was darkened, the rain defcended in tor¬ 
rents, and the expefted pleafures of the day were given 
up for the moment as loft. Sunday had been fine. The 
eve'of the feftal day had in a manner commenced the en¬ 
tertainment; and thoufands, promenading the parks, had 
almoft outwatched the moon.—The apprehenfion of dif- 
appointment was, however, fnddenly relieved ; for be¬ 
tween ten and eleven the fun re-appeared, beaming in all 
his glory, and (hedding his brighteft refulgence on the 
fcene. The inhabitants of the metropolis, and the count- 
lefs numbers who had come to it from "all the country 
round,” had nothing now to interfere with their hopes, 
or to prevent them from getting ready as foon as they 
pleafed, and throwing themfelves into the vortex of fefti- 
vity and rejoicing. In Hyde Park was the fair, pro¬ 
perly fo called. It had booths, (hows, and fwi'ngs, in 
profufion ; and to thefe was added a naumachia in mi¬ 
niature on the Serpentine River. But we mu ft be brief 
in our defcription. The naval engagement on the Ser¬ 
pentine commenced about fix in the evening by a can¬ 
nonading between the foremoll veflels, fome of which 
hoilled the American, and others the Englith, colours. 
Both (bores were lined with people, anxious to witnefs 
this mimic fight; and in the public eagernefs many were 
forced into the water. The Americans were of courfe 
compelled to (trike their colours. An interval of near an 
hour and a half followed without further movement. At 
dark, however, the Englifn fleet formed, and came down 
with a fair wind to attack that of the Americans lying at 
anchor. A tremendous cannonade followed, when the 
American fleet was driven on-(hore, and the Englifh (hips 
were towed back to their original moorings -—About ten 
o’clock the fpeftators were luddenly furprifed by the in- 
ftantaneous burft on their fight of a (hip on fire. This 
was at firft beheld as a calamity; but in a few minutes it 
was univerfally perceived that (he was bearing down on 
the American fleet previoufly driven on-(hore. The aw¬ 
ful grandeur and the ftill-increafing fplendourof the fcene, 
drew forth burlts of applaufe from both ftiores of the Ser¬ 
pentine $ 
