discoveries of the present and last centuries have been made by the Herschels. There is a branch line from Slough to WINDSOR (2 miles), (Hotel: White Hart). (In nearly all the trains from London there are through carriages to Windsor, passengers in which do not change at Slough.) Good cabs are always to be found opposite the main entrance to the Castle for excursions in the Forest, to Virginia Water, &c.

This town is remarkable only for its CASTLE, which was originally founded by William the Conqueror as a mere fortress or hunting post. It has since been added to by his successors, who made it their residence, and is now become one of the most imposing royal palaces in existence. It has been vastly extended and modernized since the accession of George IV. under the superintendence of Sir Jeffry Wyatville, and is the principal abode of the Sovereign.

WINDSOR CASTLE is the very beau ideal of a feudal stronghold. Erected on an eminence, it over·looks the Thames for many miles of its course. As to its internal arrangements, it consists of two quadrangles, the lower ward and the upper ward. It has thirteen towers, containing several magnificent apartments, amongst which are the state drawingroom, dining-room, and ballroom, the great octagon-room, which has an area of about 38 ft. in diameter, and the keep or round tower, in the centre of the castle. The paintings are very fine, consisting, in a great measure, of the works of the old masters, together with more modern pictures of a high order of merit. There are also several beautiful bronzes and marbles, chiefly in the great corridor, which extends, 520 ft. in length,

along the south and east sides of the court. The terrace affords a delightful promenade, and the garden beneath, which is reached by a flight of steps from the east terrace, is beautifully arranged, and adorned with statues in marble and bronze. On the north and east side of the castle is the little park, the circumference of which is about 4 miles. Here the tourist will see an old oak, commonly called "Herne's Oak," and supposed to be the identical tree mentioned by Shakespeare. It was reputed, in former times, to be haunted by the spirit of Herne the hunter, whose weird manifestations have been described by Harrison Ainsworth in his historical romance of "Windsor Castle." On the south of the castle lies the great park, in which is the Long Walk, extending from the precincts of the castle to Snow-hill, a distance of 3 miles. On each side is a row of venerable elms, many of them fast falling into decay. On Snowhill, at the end of the Long Walk, is a colossal bronze statue of George III. In this park is Frogmore Lodge, for some time the residence of the late Duchess of Kent, and now in the occupation of the Prince and Princess Christian. The Mausoleum erected by the Queen in memory of the late Prince Consort, and in which his remains are entombed, is visible from the Long Walk. At the southern extremity of the great park is Virginia Water, the largest artificial lake in the kingdom.

St George's Chapel (open free every week day), is a beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture; it is well proportioned, the roof is richly decorated, the windows contain elaborate designs in choice stained glass, and, over the stalls of the Knights of the Garter their banners are hung,

and their escutcheons emblazoned in a long series commencing with those of Edward III., the founder of the order. The great east window was designed by West, his torical painter to George III. A chapel was erected here, and dedicated to St George by Edward III., but the present structure, which has been restored at great expense during the present reign, was commenced by Edward ÏV. A.D. 1461, but not completed until the early part of the sixteenth century.

Several of the kings of England have been buried here. The tomb of Edward IV. is of steel, the work of Quintin Matsys; opposite to it is the marble tomb of Henry VI. Henry VIII. and Charles I. are buried under the choir. At the foot of the altar is a subterranean passage leading to the vault which contains the coffins of George III., George IV., William IV., and other members of the royal family.

STOKE POGIS is 5 miles from Windsor. Slough is the nearest railway station, but it frequently happens thatthere are no carriages to be had at the Slough station, and the tourist will find it more convenient to make the excursion from Windsor, stopping at the Slough station on his return from Stoke Pogis, or going on to

Windsor to take the train to London.

Chatham, Horace Walpole, Fox, Canning, Hallam, and the Duke of Wellington.

STOKE POGIS is an agricultural village. The manor was once held by W. Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. This place is chiefly visited from its connection with the poet Gray, who spent the greater part of his tranquil life, and is buried, here. The old manor house, now destroyed, was the scene of his "Long Story," and the churchyard that of his best known poem, the " Elegy written in a country Churchyard. Close to the entrance to the park, in which the church is situated, is the monument erected to the memory of Gray by the late Mr Penn. It is of freestone, and consists of a sarcophagus supported on a square pedestal, with inscriptions on each side. Three of them are from his "Ode to Eton College," and the "Elegy.” One is

"Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn,

Muttering his wayward fancies, he would rove;

Now drooping, woeful, wan, like one

forlorn,

Another came; nor yet beside the rill, Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he."

On another side is the following, "Beneath those rugged elms, that yewtree's shade,

Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,

Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,

sleep.

"The breezy call of incense-breathing

morn,

The swallow twittering from the straw

built shed.

A short way beyond the monument, across the park, is the little CHURCH and the CHURCHYARD, where Gray wrote the Elegy, and where he lies in the same tomb with his mother and aunt. The tomb, which is near the south-east window, is of plain brick, covered with a slab of blue slate. A small tablet in the wall, under the window, opposite the tomb, records the fact that the poet is buried there. The inscription on the slab which covers the tomb was written by Gray, as follows: "In the vault beneath are deposited, in hope of a joyful resurrection, the remains of Mary Antrobus. She died unmarried, Nov. 5, 1749, aged 66. In the same pious confidence, beside her friend and sister, here sleep the remains of Dorothy Gray, widow; the tender, careful mother of many children, ONE of whom alone had the misfortune to survive her.

She died March 11, 1753, aged

67."

Gray's description of the churchyard

Beneath those rugged elms, that yew

tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a

mouldering heap,"

is literal. The whole scene is impressive, and a visit to this quiet and beautiful spot will well repay the tourist, both by its intrinsic beauty, and its associations with poetry and the past.

ROUTE 42.

LONDON TO OXFORD.

STRATFORD-ON-AVON, WARWICK and KENILWORTH, (including COVENTRY and BIRMINGHAM.)

From London to Oxford, 63 miles, first class, 11s.; second, 8s. 4d.; third, 58. 3d. Return tickets, available for two days, first class 18s. 6d. ; second, 14s. From London to Stratford-onAvon, 110 miles; first class, 20s. 10d.; second, 15s. 5d.; third, 9s. 2d. Return tickets, available for two days, first class, 34s. 9d.; second, 25s. 9d.

MN Excursion may be made from London to Stratford on - Avon, Warwick, and Kenilworth, and back to London in a single day, but it would be impossible, in that .case, to see Oxford, or to take more than a cursory view of the objects of interest at the other places. In two days the tourist might make the same excursion, stopping at Oxford long enough to visit two or three of the Colleges (Christ Church, New, and Magdalen recommended), and going on to Stratford by Leamington. Stratford may be reached early enough to allow a visit to the chief objects of interest in the same afternoon. The most convenient way of reaching Warwick and Kenil worth is by carriage from Stratford (the proprietor of the Shakespeare Inn furnishes comfortable carriages at reasonable rates) to Warwick, where the castle and other objects of interest may be visited in an hour or two, and continuing on to Kenilworth, where there is