THE ROYAL PALACE AT ELTHAM, IN KENT.

the timber, leaving, in the words of an old writer, scarcely a tree to make a gibbet." Previously to this, the royal demesne, including the Great, the Middle, and Horne or Lee Parks, contained seven thousand seven hundred trees, about half of which were extremely valuable, and stretched over more than sixteen hundred and fifty-two acres. On the Restoration, the whole of the property reverted to the crown. The land was subsequently (with the reservation of about 173 acres, still retained as the park of the Lord of the Manor,) divided into farms, and the shattered remains of the palace were chiefly devoted to farming purposes, or subjected to further demolition. It was found, however, that the ban

Bishop Beke retained possession of Eltham until his death, in March, 1310, when he left his house, with all its appurtenances, to the Crown. It was almost immediately occupied by Edward the Second; and in 1315, his queen, Isabel, was here delivered of a son, subsequently known by the name of John of Eltham, after his birth-place, to which the palace no doubt owes its local name amongst the peasantry, of King John's Barn.

From this period until the reign of Henry the Eighth, Eltham continued to be a favourite abode of royalty. Parliaments were frequently held there, and many interesting events are recorded in its history. Edward the Fourth, we are told, "to his great cost, repaired his house at Eltham;" indeed, it would appear that he rebuilt a considerable portion of the edifice. In 1482, this monarch kept his Christmas here publicly, with princely hospitality; two thousand persons being feasted at his cost daily. Hasted states, that """ Henry the Seventh built a handsome front to this palace, towards the moat, and was usually resident here; and as appears by a record in the Office of Arms, most commonly dined in the Great Hall, and his officers kept their tables in it.”

With the close of the reign of Henry the Seventh, the decline of Eltham Palace may be said to have commenced; for Henry the Eighth only occasionally resided there; although he continued on two occasions to keep up the good old English mode of passing Christmas. Towards the conclusion of his reign, Henry appears to have altogether deserted Eltham for the royal palace of Placentia at Greenwich.

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it seems to have been entirely abandoned as a residence, the only record that we can find of that sovereign having remained at Eltham being in 1559, when she passed several days there. The attachment of the "Maiden Queen" to Greenwich-the place of her birth-was naturally stronger than that of her father. Eltham, however, was not finally abandoned until 1612, when James the First spent a short time under its roof.

The Palace and demesne attached to it, shared the common fate of the crown property, after the murder of Charles the First by the rebels, during the Civil War. A great portion of the extensive pile of buildings then comprising the Palace was taken down, and sold by auction for the sum of £2753, without including the cost of the demolition. The property then fell into the hands of a patriot, named Sir Thomas Walsingham, who completed the work of spoliation which had been commenced by the soldiers of the Parliament in 1648, (when the deer had all been wantonly destroyed and the parks greatly injured and disfigured,) by cutting down almost all

palace, would serve the purposes of a barn; " and this," remarks Mr. Buckler the historian of the structure, with natural indignation, "and not any consideration of its venerable antiquity, the dignity of those who caused its erection, the noble uses to which it had been devoted, the excellence of its design, or the costliness of its materials, proserved it from the ruin which fell on all around."

Even this beautiful structure was threatened with demolition a few years since; but the attention of Government having been drawn to it in 1828, the walls and buttresses were repaired, and the magnificent and almost unrivalled timber roof strengthened and partially renewed, under the direction of Mr. Smirke, the architect. With the exception of the louver in the roof*, which has long been removed, and the partial demolition of the parapets and many of the enrichments, it still retains all its constituent features.

This princely illustration of the hospitality of the old time, appears to have been one of the latest buildings erected at Eltham, and has been attributed, on several grounds, to Edward the Fourth, whose reign, and that of Henry the Seventh, have well been termed the golden age of English architecture. This is evidenced both from the general style of the structure, and from the appearance of several celebrated heraldic devices, or badges, of Edward the Fourth, still to be found there. The bay, or oriel windows at the upper end of the hall constitute one of the most striking features of the edifice.

The hall itself is 100 feet in length, 36 in breadth, and 55 feet high. Independently of the bays, this splendid room was lighted on either side by ten windows, arranged in couples. The timber-roof, which exhibits a union of great strength with a singular lightness of effect, is its most remarkable feature, and is, unquestionably, one of the finest existing specimens of the ornamental carpentry of the middle ages.

Some portions of the "kitchener's" department, of the chandry, or storehouse, and of several inferior buildings, are the only other remains of the ancient royal residence.

In the reign of Henry the Seventh, when the palace was in its most perfect state, it appears to have been a very stately and extensive pile. Its general outline was quadrangular, intersected by ranges of buildings which divided it into four separate quadrangles, varying in extent, and enclosing spacious courts. It was surrounded by a moat of great breadth, crossed by a drawbridge on the south, since replaced by a bank of earth, and by a stone bridge on the north, of great beauty of design, (still existing in a comparatively uninjured state,) which was defended by a strong gateway on the inner side *.

See some remarks on Old English Halls, in the Saturday Magazine, Vol. V., p. 63.

Eltham Palace was, undoubtedly, one of the most | perfect specimens of a castellated mansion ever erected in this country. Its situation, on an eminence of greater elevation than any in the neighbourhood, except Shooter's Hill, in some measure protected it against any sudden attack, whilst the recent discovery of the commencement of a series of subterranean passages, probably of very great extent, previously alluded to, evinces the care that was bestowed in providing means for the security of the royal inhabitants, in case of treason or other emergency.

The existence of a series of under-ground passages, running in the direction of Blackheath to Greenwich, had long been popularly believed; but nothing certain was known on the subject until (we believe) the spring of 1834, when accident led to the discovery. Since that period Mr. A. B. Clayton, the architect, and Dr. David King, have taken an active interest in the exploration of these military stratagems of the middle ages, and, at their own cost, have cleared about 700 feet of the passages, which were partially filled with rubbish.

The writer of this article, accompanied by some friends, lately explored these passages. We descended a ladder below a trap-door, in the yard on the south front of the hall, and entered a subterranean room, ten feet by five, from whence a narrow arched passage, of about ten feet in length, conducted us " to a series of passages, with decoys, stairs, and shafts, some of which are vertical, and others on an inclined plane, which were once used for admitting air, and for hurling down missiles or pitch-ball," with deadly effect in case of attack, according to the mode of defence practised in the old time. Much skill is observable in the construction of these shafts, for they verge and concentrate at points where weapons from above could assail the enemy the most successfully. About 500 feet of passage have been entered and passed through, in a direction west towards Middle Park, and under the moat for 200 feet. The arch is broken into in the field leading from Eltham to Mottingham, but still the brick-work of the arch can be

traced further, proceeding in the same direction. The remains of two iron gates, completely carbonized, were found in that part of the passage under the moat, and large stalactites, formed of super-carbonate of lime, hung down from the roof of the arch, which sufficiently indicate the lapse of time since these passages were entered. The height of the passages varies materially, arising, probably, from the imperfect clearance of the rubbish; in some places they reach nearly six feet, whilst in others they are considerably under five feet. There is a tradition, that at Middle Park, through which the passages are believed to run, there were several under-ground apartments, of sufficient extent to accommodate sixty horses.

Our feelings and impressions whilst traversing these narrow and gloomy vaults, leading to an unknown distance, shut out from the cheerful light of day, and perhaps not trodden by the foot of man, for several centuries, until a short time before our visit were vivid and interesting. We had before us a realization, at all events in one instance, of the traditionary stories appertaining to so many of our old mansions and castles, hitherto disbelieved; romantic and undefinable thoughts and recollections passed across our mind, and, for the moment, we were transported, in imagination, to THE PAST.

We are disposed to assign the date of these vaults to that of the reign of Edward the Second, at the commencement of the fourteenth century.

We cannot conclude this hasty notice of an edifice of considerable historical interest, without expressing a hope that the highly laudable zeal of Messrs. Clayton and King, in the investigation of one of its most remarkable features, will be seconded by that of others.

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brought from the Ganges. This is thrown over the idol every morning, and then sold at a great price to the devout who can afford to purchase so costly a blessing. The persons who make their periodical pilgrimages to the holy river, generally form processions, exhibit

Of the multitude of devotees and pilgrims in India, some idea may be formed, when it has been ascertained, that in the province of Bengal, alone, the number of mendicants-and mendicity is here a religious vocation-amounts to upwards of two millions. These persons are entirely supported by alms. Thus, supposing each person to obtain only a shilling per week, the gross sum would amount to more than five millions annually, and this, too, extracted, for the most part, from the small earnings of the labouring classes, of which poverty is at once the distinction and the heritage. The extent to which mendicity is carried, even among the Brahmins, in Bengal especially, is scarcely to be conceived; and the airs of authority which these sturdy beggars assume, arc as arrogant as they are disgusting. Such is their ascendency over the minds of the superstitious population, that they levy, as has been already shown, an enormous tax in this way, almost universally, and from that portion of the community which can with difficulty procure the common necessaries of life.

Begging holds a conspicuous place among the religious obligations of the Hindoos; with some classes, it forms the main feature of their spiritual discipline; indeed, none of their sacred community can attain the supreme rank of spiritual distinction, except through this despicable occupation. The Yogues, so highly esteemed for their sanctity, are, universally, mendicants; and so complete is their inHuence over the vulgar, that these latter esteem it an enviable privilege to be permitted to administer to the necessities of those holy men. It is considered a positive degradation for a devotee of any repute to submit to the drudgery of an honest trade. Thus it happens, that these sacred persons are the most indolent, arrogant, and too often the most sensual wretches alive. It is impossible to help feeling that the mendicant fraternities, belonging to a branch of the Christian church, must have derived their origin from these Eastern idolaters. The coincidence is too strong to be accidental. The begging friars may certainly claim the sanction of heathen, though they cannot of apostolic antiquity.

During the cold season, pilgrimages from all parts, especially of Upper India, are performed to the Ganges. The roads on the banks of the river, at this period, are crowded with devotees, proceeding in large groups to the holy stream. They are usually well dressed, carrying on their shoulders a thick bamboo, from which, at either end, is suspended a frame, generally of coarse ratan-work, containing a spherical wicker-basket, covered, and filled with provisions and other necessaries for the journey. Upon their return, globular jars of earthenware are placed within these baskets, and the sacred water of the Ganges is carried in them, frequently to the distance of many hundred miles, for the services of their temples. There is a pagoda on the island of Ramisseram, scarcely above a degree from the southern extremity of the Indian peninsula, in which no water is used but what is

are attired in their newest garments; their baskets are adorned with feathers from the tail of the venerated peacock, and cach party has one among them of superior dignity, who proceeds under an arched screen, ornamented internally with bells, and externally decorated with peacocks' plumes. "At nightfall," says Captain Luard *, “many hundreds bivouac together in the magnificent mango-groves on the road-side. After sunset, in the cool of the evening, at the ringing of a bell, they assemble in groups for prayers, and the noisy camp is instantly converted into a silent and most imposing scene of devotion." These pilgrimages are not confined to the poor, destitute and uninformed, to whom the excitement of superstition is a welcome relief from the actual bereavements to which a most pernicious social system so sadly dooms the vast majority of the Hindoo population; but the rich, the independent, and the learned, likewise swell the processions of devotion annually made to so many revolting shrines.

The men represented in the print, resemble what are called Bangy Wallahs, a superior order of porters, distinguished from the Coolies, the lowest of that class, by carrying their burdens upon the shoulder, while the latter always bear them upon their heads. So rigidly are these distinctive customs observed in India, that in many cases a Bangy Wallah would rather forfeit his life, than submit to the degradation of bearing, like the cooly, a load upon his head.

During their pilgrimages, the crowds, at particular places, are so great, that a year never passes without the sacrifice of a vast number of lives, and those who happen to be the victims upon these occasions, are considered fortunate in having obtained so holy a martyrdom. Although the Ganges is every where sacred, yet there are particular spots especially devoted to pilgrimages, and such are holy above all others. Hurdwar or Haridwar, as it is more properly designated, is the most venerated place in the estimation of all pious Hindoos. It is situated on the west side of the Ganges, where it issues into the plains of Hindoostan, from the northern hills. Haridwar signifies the Gate of God, the word Hari being an appellative applied to each of the three persons in the Hindoo triad, although more usually to Vishnu.

At some of these annual assemblies the crowd is prodigious. In 1796, it was said to amount to upwards of two millions and a half, although the place does not probably contain a thousand houses; but the great majority of visiters sleep in the open air, under the shelter of trees, or under rude tents, during the continuance of the concourse. At the festival in 1814, several hundred persons were crushed to death, owing to their impetuosity in a struggle for priority in taking the sacred bath. The street leading to the river was so narrow, and the rush so tremendous, that many were suffocated, and others trampled to death by the pressure of the crowd. Since this awful catastrophe, the passage, in which the principal mischief took place, has been enlarged by command of the British government, in order to facilitate the access to the river. An additional flight of steps has been also built, so as to obviate all likelihood of a similar accident. It created a great sensation at the time, among the superstitious

In his Series of Views in India, to which beautiful work we are again indebted for our frontispiece.